Studies have found that conservative justices are more likely to strike down laws passed by Congress and as well as decisions by federal regulatory agencies.
From “So Who Are the Activists?,” By Paul Gewirtz and Chad Golder (NY Times):
We found that justices vary widely in their inclination to strike down Congressional laws. Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, was the most inclined, voting to invalidate 65.63 percent of those laws; Justice Stephen Breyer, appointed by President Bill Clinton, was the least, voting to invalidate 28.13 percent. The tally for all the justices appears below.
Thomas 65.63 %
Kennedy 64.06 %
Scalia 56.25 %
Rehnquist 46.88 %
O’Connor 46.77 %
Souter 42.19 %
Stevens 39.34 %
Ginsburg 39.06 %
Breyer 28.13 %
From “Who are the bench’s judicial activists?,” By Thomas J. Miles and Cass R. Sunstein (LA Times):
The Judicial Activism Award, for aggressive use of judicial power, goes to a most surprising winner: Justice Antonin Scalia. He upholds agency decisions only about half the time. This is an impressively low number. Under established principles, to which all members of the court subscribe, agencies are supposed to get the benefit of the doubt.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Judge Sotomayor, who is of Puerto Rican decent, was raised by her single mom, a nurse, because her father died when she was 9? She also received a scholarship to Yale and was appointed to a federal judgeship by President George W. Bush President George H.W. Bush.
Bingo. The “appointed to the District Court by George H.W. Bush” nugget did not make their obstructionist strategy list.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/us/politics/17conserve.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
Further evidence that conservative criticism of the judiciary is more likely to be projection than substance.
Actually, she was appointed to the District Court by George H.W. Bush. That gives her more experience on the federal bench than any Supreme Court justice in the last 100 years.