Cavuto: Sotomayor Appointment Sign of Government's New Role in Business

May 27th, 2009 3:19 PM

How will President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court Justice Nominee Sonia Sotomayor impact business? Or more importantly, is her nomination a sign of new rules for business in the United States?

Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto claims that’s the case. Cavuto bases this speculation on Obama’s naming of Sotomayor, his creation of a cybersecurity czar and his treatment of General Motors (NYSE:GM) bondholders in the wake of the auto industry crisis. Cavuto made that point on his May 26 Fox Business Network show during his “Cavuto’s Deal” segment.

“Well one [Sotomayor] said baseball owners couldn’t hire replacements for striking players, another in line to essentially dictate cyber security for all Internet players and another told to move to the back of the line of all GM players,” Cavuto said. “Do you see a trend here? Let’s just say the rules of business as we know it are changing here and they are changing fast.”

Cavuto pointed out her decision in the 2008 Ricci v. DeStefano case, which prevented 15 white firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut from being promoted after successfully passing the city’s promotion exams. That could translate to new rules for other sectors of the economy according to the Fox Business host.

“Not only because Obama’s Supreme Court pick Sonia Sotomayor has ruled against white firefighters who tested better for jobs, but because the administration itself increasingly controls so many jobs,” Cavuto said. “Not just in the finance and auto industries, but increasingly dictating hiring policies and scores of other industries.”

Cavuto called Sotomayor a “game changer” and explained this wouldn’t just be the rules of the game for the length of Obama term, but would have a lasting impact since Supreme Court appointments are for life.

“Now we already knew there was a new sheriff in town,” he added. “Who knew, who knew he’d bring along so many darn deputies, some called czars who weren’t supposed to stick around long, others called Supreme Court justices who had a habit of sticking around very long.”