Women rule Supreme Court short list?

President Barack Obama vows to name a Supreme Court justice who combines "empathy and understanding" with an impeccable legal background to succeed David Souter, whose surprise retirement announcement ignited speculation the next justice could be a woman, a Hispanic or both.

Wendy Long of the Judicial Confirmation Network tells Greg Corombos of Radio America/WND why she believes the three women at the top of most lists should be scrutinized carefully. The audio of the exchange is embedded here:

Sonia Sotomayor: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit

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Bronx federal appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor remarked in 2005 that the courts are the place "where policy is made."

"What she said is exactly the way she judges," said Long.

"It's exactly what the president has talked about. He likes that. He thinks that liberal judges are so smart and so enlightened and have such great instincts about what policy should be that they should be making the decisions about policy for the rest of us," she added.

Long contends self-government is "destroyed" when unelected judges begin taking over the function of elected representatives.

Sotomayor was part of a panel on the 2nd Circuit that declined to rule on the merits of a major reverse discrimination case regarding firefighters in New Haven. The case is currently in front of the Supreme Court.

"Judge Sotomayor bascially buried their claims and tried to throw them out without even really analyzing these very important questions about quotas and reverse discrimination and fairness under the law," according to Long.

Elena Kagan: Solicitor General, U.S. Justice Department

Kagan 'has a track record also as a far-left judicial activist," said Long.

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Kagan argued it violates the First Amendment to withhold funds from colleges that ban the military from recruiting on campus. The Supreme Court rejected her view.

"As the dean of Harvard Law School, she kicked the U.S. military off campus largely because she herself was so personally offended by the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy."

Diane Wood, Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

"She tends to write her own personal views into the law instead of looking at what the law says," said Long.

In NOW v. Scheidler, Wood wrote an opinion applying RICO – a statute designed for mob prosecutions – to prevent pro-life activists from engaging in protests.

"Even the liberal justices on the court, Justice Ginsburg and Justice Breyer agreed that she should have been reversed."

"She has shown a pretty consistent hostility to religious litigants and religious interests whose cause is very clearly protected in the First Amendment of our Constitution," adds Long.