What Now? Ricci v Sotomayor?
That a participant in a case of Sotomayor’s which was overturned by SCOTUS will appear at her confirmation hearings provides a little comic relief. This situation too is not without potential controversy.
Frank Ricci as described in the report below is at the very least an interesting profile. So the activist judge may face the activist firefighter during her hearing. The distinction that is important to draw about the activist word in this story relates to the occupations of both individuals.
For Ricci to be an activist in his role as a firefighter or consultant should not raise any eyebrows. The same cannot or should not be said of a nominee for the Supreme Court.
Stanford Matthews
Morewhat.com
Firefighter to Take Spotlight in Sotomayor Hearings
By KRISTINA PETERSON
WASHINGTON — Opponents of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor paint her as a judicial activist, yet a key protagonist in her opposition, New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci, has been an activist in his own right.
As both a firefighter and independent consultant, Mr. Ricci often pushed back against his employers, challenging their decisions to fire him and pass over him for promotions and to lobby for broad firefighter safety concerns.