Sonia Sotomayor

Since he took office, President Obama has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to selecting the most qualified and experienced candidates in his appointments. In choosing a nominee for the Supreme Court, the president has expressed also that he will seek a candidate who identifies with people’s hopes and struggles and who is committed to upholding Constitutional values. He has all of this and more in federal appellate Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Sotomayor is a brilliant jurist who would bring a wealth of judicial experience to the Court. As a Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor would be one of only three justices who have served as state prosecutors or Assistant U.S. Attorneys. She would also be the only Supreme Court justice with experience as a trial court judge. Indeed, the last appointee to the Supreme Court with more experience than Sotomayor—Justice Benjamin Cardozo— was named in 1932.

National leaders of different political camps have recognized Sotomayor’s potential to contribute at the highest level of our judicial branch. President George H.W. Bush recognized Sotomayor’s stellar credentials in both the private and public sector when he appointed her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. President Bill Clinton also saw in her an accomplished judge and a sharp legal mind when he appointed her to the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Governor David Paterson, and Sotomayor’s former boss Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau—who called her a “fearless and effective prosecutor”—have all voiced high praise for her skills, qualifications and judicial temperament.

Those who have directly interacted with Sotomayor—from clerks to lawyers— have called her a tough but fair judge. Professor and legal scholar Robin Kar, who clerked for Sotomayor, wrote about her record as a jurist: “In my view, the level of conviction and independence of mind that Judge Sotomayor displays is absolutely essential to the best work of a Supreme Court Justice, but it is in short demand, and rarely have we seen it on such full display in the federal judiciary.”

But beyond her legal resume are the stories that allow a glimpse at the content of Sotomayor’s character. When the judge was sworn in to the Court of Appeals, she thanked many people, among them the federal employees who cleaned hallways and chambers, the cafeteria staff, and the security officers who watched the doors to the courthouse. The daughter of a tool-and-die maker and a nurse who worked six days a week, Sotomayor knows that we stand on the shoulders of others, and that individual honors are made possible by the quiet, daily labors of many.

Raised in the historically marginalized community of the South Bronx, Sotomayor understands what it is like to be on the outside looking in. Her role as a board member to the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and her service on a gender, racial and ethnic fairness task force in the courts show her dedication to America, its legal system and its promise.

We urge President Obama to make history again by selecting a Latina nominee, not simply to break down a barrier, but because in Judge Sonia Sotomayor he has an extraordinary American with an unwavering commitment to the integrity of our judicial system.

Since he took office, President Obama has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to selecting the most qualified and experienced candidates in his appointments. In choosing a nominee for the Supreme Court, the president has expressed also that he will seek a candidate who identifies with people’s hopes and struggles and who is committed to upholding Constitutional values. He has all of this and more in federal appellate Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Sotomayor is a brilliant jurist who would bring a wealth of judicial experience to the Court. As a Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor would be one of only three justices who have served as state prosecutors or Assistant U.S. Attorneys. She would also be the only Supreme Court justice with experience as a trial court judge. Indeed, the last appointee to the Supreme Court with more experience than Sotomayor—Justice Benjamin Cardozo— was named in 1932.

National leaders of different political camps have recognized Sotomayor’s potential to contribute at the highest level of our judicial branch. President George H.W. Bush recognized Sotomayor’s stellar credentials in both the private and public sector when he appointed her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. President Bill Clinton also saw in her an accomplished judge and a sharp legal mind when he appointed her to the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Governor David Paterson, and Sotomayor’s former boss Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau—who called her a “fearless and effective prosecutor”—have all voiced high praise for her skills, qualifications and judicial temperament.

Those who have directly interacted with Sotomayor—from clerks to lawyers— have called her a tough but fair judge. Professor and legal scholar Robin Kar, who clerked for Sotomayor, wrote about her record as a jurist: “In my view, the level of conviction and independence of mind that Judge Sotomayor displays is absolutely essential to the best work of a Supreme Court Justice, but it is in short demand, and rarely have we seen it on such full display in the federal judiciary.”

 

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