Judging judges - Enviable openness

SONIA SOTOMAYOR has been confirmed as the first Hispanic justice of the United States Supreme Court. She is President Obama’s first supreme court nominee.

Ms Sotomayor is the child of poor Puerto Rican immigrants whose extraordinary journey began in a Bronx housing project.

Despite the presidential nomination, despite widespread support throughout legal and special interest groups, despite impeccable qualifications, Ms Sotomayor had to face the most rigorous public scrutiny of an elected senate committee before her appointment.

So, what chances are there for a daughter of impoverished immigrants from a minority background becoming a Supreme Court judge in Ireland? What chance is there of prospective Supreme Court judges having to face the kind of public grilling Ms Sotomayor faced?

We could learn a lot from the transparency of the American process, but it is unlikely we will.