Obama picks first Hispanic justice
By Bobbie Nickel
May 27, 2009 12:14 a.m.
President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor, a federal appeals judge with a challenging and successful history, to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Sotomayor’s affirmation as the first Hispanic justice and the third woman ever in the Supreme Court would diversify the current 9-member panel.
“I think her nomination truly reflects the compassionate judicial values that Barack Obama was looking for and that most of his supporters were hoping for out of a Supreme Court justice,” said Matt Margolis, internal vice president of Bruin Democrats and a former Daily Bruin editor. “We hope with this placement that she will provide a voice for people who have similar experiences.”
Sotomayor, 54, grew up in New York, attended Princeton University and Yale Law School, and worked as a commercial litigator, federal district judge and appellate judge before becoming a federal appeals judge.
“What struck me is how her own life story parallels Barack’s ““ how she came from a similar underprivileged background and made her way up through education,” said Joel Marrero, co-editor in chief of the Chicano/a Latino/a Law Review. “It speaks of the importance and value of education.”
It is hoped by the Latino community that Sotomayor’s induction as a Supreme Court justice would impact America’s minority communities with a positive light toward education and the achievement of the justice.
“Everyone’s interests are aligned in a clear way,” Marrero said of the Latino community in particular.
“Her story may resonate among those individuals, but it’s significant not just for the Hispanic community but for the individuals who come from underprivileged backgrounds and are looking to one day maybe practice law.”
Patricia Alfaro, chair for MEChA, said she hopes that Sotomayor will make sure more Latinas pursue education in law.
“It’s very inspirational for me because I’m going to law school,” Alfaro said. “For our community, not many of us go into those fields because there are so many educational obstacles. It’s very admirable, on her part, that she was able to get to that point.”
Sotomayor, who would enter the Supreme Court with more experience than any of the other judges had when they were considered, must now await approval from the Senate.
Andrew Kreitz, president of Bruin Republicans, said there probably are not enough Senate Republicans to oppose Sotomayor’s confirmation. American Republicans are losing critical Hispanics in court, not to mention the female vote, Marrero said, and Sotomayor’s support from the Democrats indicates that she will make it.
“Given her experience and given the historical significance of her nomination, if I were a Republican consultant, I would advise them to save their ammo for better fighting,” Marrero said.
Kreitz, however, brought up the point that Sotomayor will still have to gain the Senate’s approval.
“Let’s not be too hasty,” Kreitz said. “We’ve got a whole examination of her case history to do. We need to make sure she really is the most qualified candidate for appointment.”
Republicans in the Senate have claimed that Sotomayor will receive a fair hearing.
“I’m highly confident that she will get confirmed, barring any surprises that come out during the confirmation process, and be a Supreme Court justice for the next term,” Margolis said.
Sotomayor may be a reflection of the American success story to many.
“It’s obvious that both the left and the right can see her passion,” Marrero said, adding that he had the pleasure of meeting Sotomayor at a dinner in 2005 and remembers the candidate seeing herself as a “lioness” with very strong feelings.
With her background, Sotomayor’s induction as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice would act both on political and social agendas to bring change and justice to the country.
“It would boost the credibility of the Supreme Court to reflect American values but also be more inspiring to those marginalized communities,” Margolis said.
While Americans will have to wait to see whether this balance of factors helps Sotomayor on her way to the Supreme Court, students of all political affiliations may agree that she has already created history.
“We should all be proud and glad of the fact that we live in the United States of America, where a Latina American can rise to the position of not just a federal appeals court judge but a Supreme Court judge position,” Kreitz said. “This is an important day.”
