Sonia Sotomayor: How Do You Know I'm Not A Conservative?

A lot of Americans think the U.S. Supreme Court's justices make their decisions based on their own political leanings.

However, Justice Antonin Scalia flipped out in September at the notion that the court pays homage to political parties when handing down rulings.

And Justice Sonia Sotomayor has said the justices really don't care about politics because they have their jobs for life.

So it was a bit surprising that Sotomayor had a frank political conversation Monday night with comedic talk show host Stephen Colbert.

"You're so self-reliant," Colbert said to the justice. "That seems like a value that conservatives embrace all the time. Why aren't you a Republican if you believe in self-reliance?"

"How do you know I'm not?" Sotomayor fired back.

"Because Obama appointed you," Colbert said. "That's the only litmus test I need."

"Surprisingly enough to you, I'm not a Democrat," Sotomayor said. "I'm an Independent. I'm registered to no party."

Colbert finally believed Sotomayor wasn't a Democrat when she said she believes in the Constitution.

Watch the entire interview. The discussion about Sotomayor's political beliefs starts around the 3:38-minute mark.

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