Political Wisdom: Will Sotomayor Influence the Other Justices?

Sara Murray offers a round up of political analysis from the Web. What will the Supreme Court decision mean for Sotomayor’s relationship with the other Supreme Court justices if she’s confirmed — especially with Justice Anthony Kennedy , Time’s Massimo Calabresi wonders. Kennedy disagreed with the ruling Sotomayor helped make in the lower court but took a softer tone. “He holds the swing vote on the court, usually siding with the conservative bloc but sometimes voting with the liberals. Former clerks describe Kennedy as particularly open to the influence of people with whom he interacts…the lengths to which Kennedy appears to have gone to be gentle on Sotomayor seem to open the possibility of his being open to her influence…Nevertheless, the patterns of dialogue and influence among the Justices evolve over years rather than weeks. Whereas outgoing Justice David Souter has an established relationship with Kennedy, Sotomayor is starting from scratch. So until Sotomayor settles in ... (link)