Would Sotomayor really be the first Supreme Court Latino?

Reporting from Chicago - When President Obama nominated federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court , ethnic advocacy groups praised the selection of the first Latino to the nation's highest court.

[Ordinary Citizen]

To be honest I think the bigger question is... Who cares?

[J Rond]

Linguistically, Portuguese is not Spanish. And if you've try to speak it, you'll know they are not similar.

We had a Portuguese Jew on the court??!! Cool.

[Elmo]

If you don't read anything else today, read Byron York's searing account of what happened last time a brilliant Hispanic jurist was nominated to a high-profile appellate post:

" Born in Honduras,[Miguel] Estrada came to the United States at 17, not knowing a word of English. He learned the language almost instantly, and within a few years was graduating with honors from Columbia University and heading off to Harvard Law School. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, was a prosecutor in New York, and worked at the Justice Department in Washington before entering private practice.

Estrada's nomination for a federal judgeship set off alarm bells among Democrats. There is a group of left-leaning organizations -- People for the American Way, NARAL, the Alliance for Justice, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the NAACP, and others -- that work closely with Senate Democrats to promote Democratic judicial nominations and kill Republican ones. They were particularly concerned about Estrada.

In November, 2001, representatives of those groups met with Democratic Senate staff. One of those staffers then wrote a memo to Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin, informing Durbin that the groups wanted to stall Bush nominees, particularly three they had identified as good targets. "They also identified Miguel Estrada as especially dangerous," the staffer added, "because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment. They want to hold Estrada off as long as possible."

It was precisely the fact that Estrada was Hispanic that made Democrats and their activist allies want to kill his nomination. They were determined to deny a Republican White House credit, political and otherwise, for putting a first-rate Hispanic nominee on the bench."

They succeeded, too. They filibustered Estrada for years and he never made it onto the bench. So, when you see Barack Obama--who voted to filibuster Sam Alito!--piously denouncing "the political posturing and ideological brinksmanship that has bogged down this process" in the past, remember Miguel Estrada. Somewhere on this earth, there is a worse hypocrite than Barack Obama. I just can't think who he is offhand....

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Wh...

[RealityBytes]

The focus must be on whether the seemingly well-foundred suggestions that she would be likely to legislate from the Court are true and whether she considers her heritage to be an appropriate guide to her interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

The media has a duty to control its liberal bias by writing stories regarding this candidate which are relevant to the real issues in the confirmation process of a Supreme Court Justice. Cut the damn spin and discuss her judicial and political history. You people are a disgrace to the country's very fabric.

[Abbott]

First latino? I don't even think Sotomayor would be the first racist on the SC.

[Independent Voter]

The racist judge will be confirmed because Nancy & Harry want it that way.

[MomGrandma]

What is this big deal with firsts? We have already had Presidents with African bloodlines and at least one SCOTUS with Latin bloodlines. Let’s find the best person for the job and get over this mesmerizing fascination.

[Tell the Truth]

Not that it matters much, but it's quite a simple distinction.

Latinos are from Latin America, including all of the islands.

Hispanics are more directly from the Iberian peninsula, as Stephen Chapman sought fit to miscategorize Sotomayor.

There are millions more Latinos than Hispanics in the U.S.

I would view Sotomayor as a Latina.

Cardozo would certainly be the first Hispanic on the bench. Good for him. A great achievement, especially considering the times.

Next silly question/debate.

[HOOSIER]

The facts and the truth don't really matter. obamass will declare it to be the first, thereby rewritting history again in his undisguised thirst for fame and glory in manufaturing accomplishments that this little man is totally incapble of on his own.

[Pick Me]

Tell the Truth wrote:

Not that it matters much, but it's quite a simple distinction.
Latinos are from Latin America, including all of the islands.
Hispanics are more directly from the Iberian peninsula, as Stephen Chapman sought fit to miscategorize Sotomayor.
There are millions more Latinos than Hispanics in the U.S.
I would view Sotomayor as a Latina.
Cardozo would certainly be the first Hispanic on the bench. Good for him. A great achievement, especially considering the times.
Next silly question/debate.

We really need a Norwegian lesbian on the Supreme Court. Preferably with a wooden leg.

[JMO]

Whatever happened to the melting pot and being just plain American?

How does anyone claim to be Puerto Rican when the islands weren't settled until after Christopher Columbus landed in the Carribean? What they are really saying is they are mongrels and darn proud of it. What they are saying is that pre-Columbus, they have no idea what the heck they are. So why are they not dong the same thing here, now? Why aren't they calling themselves just plain Americans?

I am so, so, so tired of dashed-Americans.

Is anyone wondering if she is a practicing Catholic or not?

[Glasnos]

Sotomayor will be the first member of La Raza on the supreme court.
La Raza ... who advocate illegal aliens be given the right to vote.
La Raza who advocate open borders, and the end of american sovereignty

[Jorge]

Tell the Truth wrote:

Not that it matters much, but it's quite a simple distinction.
Latinos are from Latin America, including all of the islands.
Hispanics are more directly from the Iberian peninsula, as Stephen Chapman sought fit to miscategorize Sotomayor.
There are millions more Latinos than Hispanics in the U.S.
I would view Sotomayor as a Latina.
Cardozo would certainly be the first Hispanic on the bench. Good for him. A great achievement, especially considering the times.
Next silly question/debate.

Hispanic is a Roman term pertaining to the ancient Roman province of Hispania (modern Spain); while Lusitania was the Roman name for Portugal. That means that anyone from Portugal is not Hispanic but Lusitanic.

Jorge de P.Rico

[Factchecker]

HOOSIER wrote:

The facts and the truth don't really matter. obamass will declare it to be the first, thereby rewritting history again in his undisguised thirst for fame and glory in manufaturing accomplishments that this little man is totally incapble of on his own.

I doubt that you could match Obama's resume with your rap sheet (not to be confused with the sheet that you wear at the 'meetings.')

[Jorge]

JMO wrote:

Whatever happened to the melting pot and being just plain American?
How does anyone claim to be Puerto Rican when the islands weren't settled until after Christopher Columbus landed in the Carribean? What they are really saying is they are mongrels and darn proud of it. What they are saying is that pre-Columbus, they have no idea what the heck they are. So why are they not dong the same thing here, now? Why aren't they calling themselves just plain Americans?
I am so, so, so tired of dashed-Americans.
Is anyone wondering if she is a practicing Catholic or not?

The melting pot is a myth.

The pre-Columbus name of Puerto Rico, for thousands of years has been Borikén. Every island in the Caribbean (not Carribean) has an Indian name (from the Taino or Arawak cultures) for ex.-Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Quisqueya, Martinica, Aruba, Borikén, Vieques, etc.

It was just a little over 500 yrs that Europeans arrived to the "West Indies" and renamed some of the islands, including Puerto Rico.

Jorge de P.Rico

[Stop the anti-Semitiism]

The problem here is that Hispanic/Latino culture is deeply anti-Semitic and most Hispanics/Latinos are themselves deeply anti-Semitic. They flaunt the hateful, bigoted attitude that a person must be roman catholic to be a "true Latino/Hispanic." Complete garbage. Stop the anti-Semitism, Latinos/Hispanics.

[Bob - Wheeling]

She will become, but not without a dogfight.

[stan]

And the Dominican Republic is on the island of Hispaniola...but they're, what, not Hispanic now?

This whole conversation about her has gone awry. Is there a better qualified person or not?

[Independent Voter]

Factchecker wrote:

<quoted text>
I doubt that you could match Obama's resume with your rap sheet (not to be confused with the sheet that you wear at the 'meetings.')

All obama has going for him on his resume is "Community Organizer" & Senator, for 143 days before announcing he was running for president. Real impressive, for a "Community Organizer" aka, Street Thug.

[Joe]

J Rond wrote:

Linguistically, Portuguese is not Spanish. And if you've try to speak it, you'll know they are not similar.
We had a Portuguese Jew on the court??!! Cool.

Some would even say he was gay as well. And get this..nominated by a republican. Not because he always agreed with him, but because he thought him a damn fine judge. Imagine, appointing someone because you thought they could do a good job. A rare occasion today.