You know of a Jurists who is of Native American decent who graduated number 2 in their class and has also has the other criteria that Sotomayer has?
On May 27, 9:33 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > Touching. Now do you think Obama will get around to nominating an > American Indian??? > > On May 27, 7:29 pm, VT Sean Lewis <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Spin on Sotomayorhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#30951352 > > > A Name Gamehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#30951606 > > > Scarying up moneyhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#30951542 > > > The GOP lie revealed about reverse racism!!!! > > > A single sentence taken out of context and exploited > > while Judge Alito said the same thing about his background > > and ethnic heritage during his Senate Hearings! > > > You got to love the double standards > > > WASHINGTON — In 2001, Sonia Sotomayor, an appeals court judge, gave a > > speech declaring that the ethnicity and sex of a judge “may and will > > make a difference in our judging.” > > > In her speech, Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often > > invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court > > colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old > > woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases. > > > “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her > > experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a > > white male who hasn’t lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor, > > > Her remarks, at the annual Judge Mario G. Olmos Law and Cultural > > Diversity Lecture at the University of California, Berkeley,Lecture: > > ‘A Latina Judge’s Voice’ > > > The following is the text of the Judge Mario G. Olmos Memorial Lecture > > in 2001, delivered at the University of California, Berkeley, School > > of Law, by appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor. It was published in > > the Spring 2002 issue of Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, a symposium > > issue entitled "Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the > > Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation," and it is reproduced > > here with permission from the journal. > > > "A Latina Judge's Voice" > > > By Sonia Sotomayor > > > Judge Reynoso, thank you for that lovely introduction. I am humbled to > > be speaking behind a man who has contributed so much to the Hispanic > > community. I am also grateful to have such kind words said about me. > > > I am delighted to be here. It is nice to escape my hometown for just a > > little bit. It is also nice to say hello to old friends who are in the > > audience, to rekindle contact with old acquaintances and to make new > > friends among those of you in the audience. It is particularly heart > > warming to me to be attending a conference to which I was invited by a > > Latina law school friend, Rachel Moran, who is now an accomplished and > > widely respected legal scholar. I warn Latinos in this room: Latinas > > are making a lot of progress in the old-boy network. > > > I am also deeply honored to have been asked to deliver the annual > > Judge Mario G. Olmos lecture. I am joining a remarkable group of prior > > speakers who have given this lecture. I hope what I speak about today > > continues to promote the legacy of that man whose commitment to public > > service and abiding dedication to promoting equality and justice for > > all people inspired this memorial lecture and the conference that will > > follow. I thank Judge Olmos' widow Mary Louise's family, her son and > > the judge's many friends for hosting me. And for the privilege you > > have bestowed on me in honoring the memory of a very special person. > > If I and the many people of this conference can accomplish a fraction > > of what Judge Olmos did in his short but extraordinary life we and our > > respective communities will be infinitely better. > > > I intend tonight to touch upon the themes that this conference will be > > discussing this weekend and to talk to you about my Latina identity, > > where it came from, and the influence I perceive it has on my presence > > on the bench. > > > Who am I? I am a "Newyorkrican." For those of you on the West Coast > > who do not know what that term means: I am a born and bred New Yorker > > of Puerto Rican-born parents who came to the states during World War > > II. > > > Like many other immigrants to this great land, my parents came because > > of poverty and to attempt to find and secure a better life for > > themselves and the family that they hoped to have. They largely > > succeeded. For that, my brother and I are very grateful. The story of > > that success is what made me and what makes me the Latina that I am. > > The Latina side of my identity was forged and closely nurtured by my > > family through our shared experiences and traditions. > > > For me, a very special part of my being Latina is the mucho platos de > > arroz, gandoles y pernir - rice, beans and pork - that I have eaten at > > countless family holidays and special events. My Latina identity also > > includes, because of my particularly adventurous taste buds, morcilla, > > -- pig intestines, patitas de cerdo con garbanzo -- pigs' feet with > > beans, and la lengua y orejas de cuchifrito, pigs' tongue and ears. I > > bet the Mexican-Americans in this room are thinking that Puerto Ricans > > have unusual food tastes. Some of us, like me, do. Part of my Latina > > identity is the sound of merengue at all our family parties and the > > heart wrenching Spanish love songs that we enjoy. It is the memory of > > Saturday afternoon at the movies with my aunt and cousins watching > > Cantinflas, who is not Puerto Rican, but who was an icon Spanish > > comedian on par with Abbot and Costello of my generation. My Latina > > soul was nourished as I visited and played at my grandmother's house > > with my cousins and extended family. They were my friends as I grew > > up. Being a Latina child was watching the adults playing dominos on > > Saturday night and us kids playing loteria, bingo, with my grandmother > > calling out the numbers which we marked on our cards with chick peas. > > > Now, does any one of these things make me a Latina? Obviously not > > because each of our Carribean and Latin American communities has their > > own unique food and different traditions at the holidays. I only > > learned about tacos in college from my Mexican-American roommate. > > Being a Latina in America also does not mean speaking Spanish. I > > happen to speak it fairly well. But my brother, only three years > > younger, like too many of us educated here, barely speaks it. Most of > > us born and bred here, speak it very poorly. > > > If I had pursued my career in my undergraduate history major, I would > > likely provide you with a very academic description of what being a > > Latino or Latina means. For example, I could define Latinos as those > > peoples and cultures populated or colonized by Spain who maintained or > > adopted Spanish or Spanish Creole as their language of communication. > > You can tell that I have been very well educated. That antiseptic > > description however, does not really explain the appeal of morcilla - > > pig's intestine - to an American born child. It does not provide an > > adequate explanation of why individuals like us, many of whom are born > > in this completely different American culture, still identify so > > strongly with those communities in which our parents were born and > > raised. > > > America has a deeply confused image of itself that is in perpetual > > tension. We are a nation that takes pride in our ethnic diversity, > > recognizing its importance in shaping our society and in adding > > richness to its existence. Yet, we simultaneously insist that we can > > and must function and live in a race and color-blind way that ignore > > these very differences that in other contexts we laud. That tension > > between "the melting pot and the salad bowl" -- a recently popular > > metaphor used to described New York's diversity - is being hotly > > debated today in national discussions about affirmative action. Many > > of us struggle with this tension and attempt to maintain and promote > > our cultural and ethnic identities in a society that is often > > ambivalent about how to deal with its differences. In this time of > > great debate we must remember that it is not political struggles that > > create a Latino or Latina identity. I became a Latina by the way I > > love and the way I live my life. My family showed me by their example > > how wonderful and vibrant life is and how wonderful and magical it is > > to have a Latina soul. They taught me to love being a Puerto Riqueña > > and to love America and value its lesson that great things could be > > achieved if one works hard for it. But achieving success here is no > > easy accomplishment for Latinos or Latinas, and although that struggle > > did not and does not create a Latina identity, it does inspire how I > > live my life. > > > I was born in the year 1954. That year was the fateful year in which > > Brown v. Board of Education was decided. When I was eight, in 1961, > > the first Latino, the wonderful Judge Reynaldo Garza, was appointed to > > the federal bench, an event we are celebrating at this conference. > > When I finished law school in 1979, there were no women judges on the > > Supreme Court or on the highest court of my home state, New York. > > There was then only one Afro-American Supreme Court Justice and then > > and now no Latino or Latina justices on our highest court. Now in the > > last twenty plus years of my professional life, I have seen a quantum > > leap in the representation of women and Latinos in the legal > > profession and particularly in the judiciary. In addition to the > > appointment of the first female United States Attorney General, Janet > > Reno, we have seen the appointment of two female justices to the > > Supreme Court and two female justices to the New York Court of > > Appeals, the highest court of my home state. One of those judges is > > the Chief Judge and the other is a Puerto Riqueña, like I am. As of > > today, women sit on the highest courts of almost all of the states and > > of the > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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