Sotomayor: Hispanic 'legitimacy'

by Mark Silva and updated

President Barack Obama, elected to the White House with two-thirds of the votes cast by Hispanic Americans, has made some history of his own -- first African-American elected president -- and now has nominated the first Latina for the nation's highest court.

This wasn't a major concern for most Americans, the nomination of a Hispanic justice, the Gallup Poll had recently found.

"There is simply no large groundswell,'' reported Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll, noting that nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed said it "doesn't matter" to them if the president appoints a woman - 64 percent - and slightly more -- 68 percent -- saying it didn't matter if Obama names a Hispanic justice.

Yet, on a court with just one woman, one African-American and no Hispanics, the elevation of a federal jurist whose parents came from Puerto Rico to the Supreme Court certainly is significant to the fastest growing populace and a growing voting bloc in the United States.

The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce had voiced great disappointment over former President George W. Bush's failure to appoint a Hispanic justice, after courting the Hispanic vote with great success since his elections as governor of Texas. And today, the chamber's ship has come in.

"The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is thrilled by the historic nomination of Judge Sotomayor," said David C. Lizárraga, chairman of the board. "Her independent outlook, record of excellence, and strong integrity are what our nation needs in a Supreme Court Justice. She is a role model of strength, focus, and discipline and exemplifies the American ethos, proving that anyone in this nation can fulfill their dreams, matching their potential with opportunity."

"President Obama's pick of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the Supreme Court is an acknowledgement and affirmation of the great demographic changes taking place in America today,'' says Simon Rosenberg, president of New Democrat Network.

"Driven by years of immigration, our nation is going through profound change,'' he suggests today. "The percentage of people of color in the United States has tripled in just the past 45 years, and America is now on track become a majority-minority nation in the next 30-40 years.

"The movement of our nation from a majority white to a more racially complex society is perhaps the single greatest societal change taking place in our great nation today,'' he suggests.

"And if the Supreme Court is to have the societal legitimacy required to do its work, its justices must reflect and speak to the people of America of the 21st Century,'' he says.

"The pick of Judge Sotomayor, a highly qualified, twice-Senate confirmed Latina to serve as one of the nine judges overseeing our judicial system, will not only put a thoughtful and highly experienced judge on the Supreme Court, it will go a long way toward making the Supreme Court one that can truly represent the new people and new realities of 21st Century America."

Gov. Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico today voiced his support.

"Judge Sotomayor has an extensive legal record and has enjoyed strong bi-partisan support in the past, he said. "She also has shown herself to be a first-rate jurist, approaching cases with an open mind and a commitment to fairness.

"We're witnessing American history in the making here,'' he said. "Judge Sotomayor's nomination as the first Puerto Rican to serve on the nation's high court is a powerful recognition of the capacity and contributions of the people of Puerto Rico, as well as the nation's entire Hispanic population.''

We've heard a range of opinion on this question today.

The contents of the email-bag today suggest that a lot of the points of view expressed today have a lot to do with the ethnicity of the ones who are writing.

There is the Puerto Rican who wrote of how happy he is to read about the nomination of Sotomayor: "Puerto Rican pride.''

Then there is the fellow who wrote: "I'm so tried of race stories. This country has come along way in a short time but you wouldn't know it.... Diversity is dangerous without looking at character... She shouldn't be a Latino woman, she should be a American like what she is.''

Sotomayor's character is sure to get a lot of scrutiny in the weeks ahead. It's possible, in the meantime, that the commentary we're hearing about her nomination from some quarters says more about the commentators than it says about the nominee.