By Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif)

July 15, 2009 — Confirmation hearings for President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, are taking place this week.  Nominations are voted on by the Senate, not the House, but I am following the proceedings with interest because of the importance of the Supreme Court and this historic nomination.

If she is confirmed – as I hope and expect she will be – Sonia Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic and only the 3rd woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington , Tuesday, July 14, 2009, before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo)

Sonia Sotomayor has served already as a federal judge for 17 years including currently on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, one of our nation’s highest courts, where she has compiled a distinguished record.  She previously worked as a prosecutor, a civil rights advocate and in private practice, giving her a range of legal experience.

Judge Sotomayor grew up in humble circumstances and faced significant challenges that I think many of us can relate to:  her parents left Puerto Rico and moved to New York where her father was a factory worker.  He died when she was nine, so she and her brother were raised by a hard-working single mother.  They lived in a housing project in the Bronx. 

She learned early on that the key to success is education, and she excelled in the classroom, earning scholarships to Princeton and Yale Law School.

Her life is an inspirational American success story.

I believe that the focus of Senators should be on Judge Sotomayor’s outstanding legal career, the cases she has decided and opinions she has written.

However, much discussion currently focuses on her life experiences, and indeed she and her supporters have cited her background as significant. 

To what extent is this relevant?  Judge Sotomayor has an exceptional professional record, and her years of service as a judge, as well as the intelligence and hard work she has demonstrated, make her highly qualified.  For these reasons, she should be confirmed.

However, I think we can also recognize that as a woman and as a Latina, she brings a unique perspective to her job, one that has never been represented on the Supreme Court.

Although women make up more than half of our population, the Court has most recently had only 1 female among its 9 Justices.  Despite a Hispanic population of approximately 50 million, America has never had a Hispanic Justice.

To be representative of the great diversity of our nation, it is important that more women and more racial and ethnic minorities serve as judges in state and federal courts.  Our government draws its authority from the consent of the governed, and this consent continues only as long as the American people have confidence that our laws will be applied and enforced fairly for everyone.

Serving on the House Judiciary Committee, I work to promote equality and fairness. I understand that America does not always live up to its ideals.  At times the legal system fails to uphold the law equally or to provide full protection for all.  I believe that someone who has experienced life from the perspective of living in poverty, as a woman and a member of a minority group will be sensitive to injustice and recognize the impact of her decisions on the lives of ordinary people.

Over the years the Supreme Court has issued decisions that have profoundly affected our nation and helped define and protect the fundamental rights of all Americans.  In moments when a president or Congress were unable or unwilling to do the right thing to help us overcome discrimination and prejudice, courts have acted to advance the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities.

I am confident that Sonia Sotomayor will apply the law equally and impartially, interpret the Constitution wisely and fairly, and be an outstanding Supreme Court Justice.

What qualifications and qualities are most important for serving on the Supreme Court?

Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

June 3, 2009 – First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address Wednesday to graduates of the Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter School. The first lady said she came because she wanted to “celebrate the achievements of students” in her new hometown and because student Jasmine Williams wrote a letter inviting her.

The first lady told the graduates, all of them Black and Latino, to look forward without self-doubt.  Comparing her own personal story along with the president’s political ambitions, she encouraged the students not to set limits.  “We all felt a little like you might feel right now. We all had doubts. We all have doubts,” she told the 98 young men and women about to receive their diplomas. 

“But in the end we were all more than ready,” Obama insisted. 

The first lady, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, used the opportunity to praise another Princeton graduate, Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor.  “I don’t know if you know about this phenomenal woman — she’s the President’s nominee for the Supreme Court — and she’s the first Hispanic woman to be considered for the position.  The first,” Obama said.

Mrs. Obama recalled Sotomayor’s comments to the students, [That] “when she stepped on that campus, she said — and this is a quote — she said she felt like ‘a visitor landing in an alien country.’ And she said she never raised her hand her first year because — and this is a quote — she ‘was too embarrassed and too intimidated to ask questions.’”

This was the first time Mrs. Obama spoke about Sotomayor’s nomination, and she made it clear her full support was behind the nomineee.   

Principal Mark Holbrook said 99 percent of the graduates have been accepted at two- and four-year colleges.  Mrs. Obama offered them advice for the college journey. “Never, ever sit in silence, ever.  That first day, raise your hand, use your voice, and ask a question.  Don’t be afraid to be wrong, don’t be afraid to sound unclear, because understand this is the only way you’ll learn.”

The graduation was held at Howard University where some graduates will be attending in the Fall.  Other students have been accepted at Georgetown, Syracuse, Morehouse College and the University of Virginia. 

“So graduates of 2009, with a solid education foundation and a firm hold of your dreams, and with the support of your families and a willingness to work hard, I can assure you, you’re more than ready,” Obama assured them.

President Obama announces Judge Sonia Sotomayor as U.S. Supreme Court Nominee in the East Room of the White House.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

 May 26, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor will place the first American with Puerto Rican heritage on the path to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Sotomayor’s childhood and the obstacles she faced may connect with the American people.  Her humble background with working class immigrant parents could be one of the reasons Sotomayor was a standout pick from the list of 40 names – that was narrowed to four over the past weeks according to White House officials.

I was able to confirm at least one African American made “a list” but not the final four.

But it looks like the selection of Sotomayor is going over well with Black lawmakers. Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) released a statement applauding the nomination. 

 “As the first Latina nominated to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor brings brilliance and a common sense understanding of how the law practically works in the lives of all Americans and has repeatedly shown a commitment to the Constitutional values that are the bedrock of our nation,” Lee said.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called Sotomayor a “superb pick.”

 “The President has demonstrated that he is dedicated to nominating justices who have life experiences that will enable them to both sympathize and empathize with all Americans,” Clyburn said.

The East Room was packed Tuesday morning for the announcement. This was one of the largest turnouts by White House senior and support staff I’ve witnessed. 

It was a who’s who of the Latino and Black communities.  Among the guests I spotted civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous, executive director of the Urban League Mark H. Morial and Wade Henderson, CEO of the Civil Rights Conference of Civil Rights.

Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School and worked as a city prosecutor and corporate litigator before donning the black robe.  Both of her early career moves developed the skills White House officials point to as her added asset to the high court:  Once Justice David Souter retires no other justice remaining on the court has trial law experience.

“I stand on the shoulders of countless people, yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor.”  Following roaring applause, Sotomayer added,  “My mother has devoted her life to my brother and me. And as the president mentioned, she worked often two jobs to help support us after dad died. I have often said that I am all I am because of her, and I am only half the woman she is.”

The president praised the 54-year-old jurist for her accomplishments. “It’s a career that has given her not only a sweeping overview of the American judicial system, but a practical understanding of how the law works in the everyday lives of the American people,” Obama said. 

Sotomayor, born in the South Bronx, comes to this nomination from Second Circuit where she was appointed by President Clinton.  Her first appointment to the District Court of southern District of New York was by President George H.W. Bush.