Hispanic Leaders Voice Support for Sotomayor

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

A group of Latino leaders expressed their full support of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Capitol Hill today. A number of leaders from organizations such as the National Hispanic Bar Association (HNBA) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss Sotomayor, who is undergoing a confirmation process with the U.S. Senate.

“At a time in our history, when the Supreme Court is constantly balancing he expansion of law enforcement against individual rights, it is critical that a justice understand the real life consequences the opinions of the highest court in the land have on the lives of the Latinos.” said John Amaya, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Legislative Staff Attorney. “We strongly believe that Judge Sotomayor has the experience and legal judgement that will best serve all Americans.”

In a press release, the Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary (HFJ) said that Sotomayor’s perspective would be critical to the increasing number of cases that are being heard before the Supreme Court that ultimately affect the Latino and immigrant communities.

Reid said just as much as he can’t change who he is and what his life experiences are, “She can’t change who she is. She is going to rely on her life experiences in writing her opinions. That’s who she is. She has made 3,400 decisions while she has been a member of the federal judiciary. She has written opinions on hundreds of those decisions that she’s made and her life story is part of her opinions,” he said.

Sotomayor also continued her meetings with senators on Capitol Hill today. She met with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) this morning. Following their meeting, Menendez said he fully supports Sotomayor and praised her for her depth of judicial experience.

Menendez said he finds her “incredibly well qualified and with an enormous intellectual prowess that I think the committee will see when she answers questions.”