Sotomayor: Catholic? Does it matter?

by Dennis Coday

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dcoday@ncronline.org

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May 26, 2009

Putting together the story of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, many have struggled with her religion. Is she Catholic? She was raised Catholic, right? We know she went to Catholic schools. Is she a practicing Catholic?

Over on Beliefnet, David Gibson asks, Does it matter?

He quotes no less a Catholic judge than Antonin Scalia (as reported by First Things):

"There is no such thing as a 'Catholic judge.' The bottom line is that the Catholic faith seems to me to have little effect on my work as a judge...Just as there is no 'Catholic' way to cook a hamburger, I am hard pressed to tell you of a single opinion of mine that would have come out differently if I were not Catholic."

Is that enough to put the matter to rest?

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