Sotomayor disputes "news" accounts re: Gorsuch.

[WarGamer]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/19/supreme-court-justices-sotomayor-gorsuch-deny-reports-mask-dispute/6578992001/

In a joint statement released by the court, the two said news accounts of the dispute "surprised us" and described them as "false."

"While we may sometimes disagree about the law, we are warm colleagues and friends," the two said in the statement.

Chief Justice John Roberts also disputed the reports in a separate statement.

The highly unusual public reaction came as Gorsuch has broken with the other eight justices in declining to wear a mask during oral arguments. Since the omicron variant triggered a recent surge in infections, Sotomayor has been taking part in arguments remotely from her chambers in the building rather than sitting on the bench.

[SheilaAnn]

1. I say BS. Gorsuch whined so much about how it made him look, they had to make this statement. I

still don't like him and I would bet Justice Sotomayor went along with this just to keep the peace.

[MyOwnPeace]

3. Tough to believe otherwise......

the way this court has been acting and ruling........

[former9thward]

15. You are accusing her of lying?

Where the evidence for such a charge?

[SheilaAnn]

17. Calm down there bunky, I have not accused or made a charge. I'm saying in order to keep the peace,

she agreed to sign this stupid unbelievable statement

[former9thward]

18. No, her statement has no weasel words.

Either she is telling the truth and the news reports from a "source" were false or she is lying. Bunky.

[SheilaAnn]

19. OK then, she lying. n/t

[Nevilledog]

22. Story did not say Sotomayor made the request.

NPR is standing by Nina Totenbergs story

Link to tweet

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/19/1074169348/supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-campaign-finance-law-issues-statements-on-npr-r

Three Supreme Court justices issued statements Wednesday addressing an NPR story about relations among the justices. On Tuesday, NPR reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a longtime diabetic, had indicated to Chief Justice John Roberts that because of the omicron surge, she did not feel safe being in a room with people who are unmasked, and that the chief justice "in some form asked the other justices to mask up."

On Wednesday, Sotomayor and Gorsuch issued a statement saying that she did not ask him to wear a mask. NPR's report did not say that she did. Then, the chief justice issued a statement saying he "did not request Justice Gorsuch or any other justice to wear a mask on the bench." The NPR report said the chief justice's ask to the justices had come "in some form."

NPR stands by its reporting.

What is incontrovertible is that all the justices have at once started wearing masks — except Gorsuch. Meanwhile, Sotomayor has stayed out of the courtroom. Instead, she has participated remotely in the court's arguments and the justices' weekly conference, where they discuss the cases and vote on them.

That pattern continued Wednesday as the court heard arguments in a campaign finance case brought by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

*snip*

[onecaliberal]

2. He doesn't care about anyone or he would mask. FUCK HIM!

[dsc]

4. actually they didn't

NPR stated that the Chief Justice asked him to mask not that Sotomayor did.

[WarGamer]

6. or not? NPR's "unanamed sources" are contrary to Roberts.

Roberts then followed up with his own statement, released by the court hours later, asserting that he "did not request Justice Gorsuch or any other justice to wear a mask on the bench."

[dsc]

7. that is fair

but unlike the case of Sotomayor, I don't automatically believe him.

[Ocelot II]

5. What else would they say?

"Yeah, Gorsuch is a selfish libertarian dick who does whatever he pleases, but Justice Sotomayor is just an older woman with comorbidities and that isn't his fault, so too fucking bad"? Which would be the truth.

[spanone]

8. If true, who put out the original bullshit story and why did our media run with it?

[WarGamer]

11. NPR said "unnamed sources" So I'd ask Mr. Unnamed.

[spanone]

14. I called, he's not available.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Someone trying to kill me is not a "warm friendship."

[Kingofalldems]

10. So Gorsuch wore a mask?

[WarGamer]

12. I don't know, KOAD... ask Justice Sotomayor??? She co-wrote the statement disputing the NPR piece.

[Kingofalldems]

13. Oh here you go-- looks like he did NOT wear a mask:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/11/supreme-court-justice-neil-gorsuch-has-no-mask-despite-covid-spike.html

https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106873212-16192052930279-2021-04-23T185919Z-1874651262-RC2U1N9IPOUW-RTRMADP-3-USA-COURT-jpg?v=1619205830&w=630&h=354

[MOMFUDSKI]

16. That leaves me

with a little less respect for her. Should have held her ground.

[Zeitghost]

20. Held her ground?

She didn't back down from a previous statement. It seems the original story was false and she confirmed that. If that's the truth, what else does anyone want her to say? It seems some are upset the wise Justice won't play political games.

[tritsofme]

21. You lost respect for her because she didn't pretend a false story was true?

That’s kind of strange.