Judicial Nominee Raises Questions

Another of President Barack Obama's nominees, Judge Edward Chen, is drawing criticism. 
 
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Oct. 22 to send Chen's nomination for a seat on the Northern California Federal District Court to the full Senate.
 
Chen, a long-time ACLU attorney and current federal magistrate in San Francisco, has made no secret of his views on American patriotism.
 
When "America the Beautiful" was sung at a funeral, Chen wondered out loud during his remarks, "I cannot help but feel that there are too much (sic) injustice and too many inequalities that prevent far too many Americans from enjoying the beauty extolled in that anthem."
 
Chen has also been quoted as saying he agrees with the "empathy standard" made famous during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
 
"These determinations require a judge to draw upon something that is not found in the case reports that line the walls of our chambers" he said. "Rather, judges draw upon the breadth and depth of their own life experience. Inevitably, one's ethnic and racial background contributes to those life experiences."