It’s about time. The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States is long overdue. The first female Supreme Court Justice was appointed in 1981, a milestone for all women in America. However, the fact that it took nearly 30 years to nominate a female minority is unbelievable. If appointed, she would only be the third female Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Again – unbelievable. And again, I say it’s about time.
Judge Sotomayor has a notable record and has ruled on high profile issues covering everything from baseball to politics, from print media to television. Many lawyers appearing before her court describe her as plain spoken, intelligent, demanding, and sometimes somewhat unforgiving. She is known for her “just the facts” approach to judicial decision making which some may argue does not leave much room for gray areas. Others would say that this black and white method of justice is far better than one dispensed as a reflection of one’s own prejudice. Either way, she has an impressive track record and is more than qualified to sit on the bench accompanied by some of the law’s most brilliant minds.
Her importance however lies more in her background than her impressive circum vitae. Her “extraordinary journey”, as President Obama called it, to this nomination is just that - extraordinary. Sonia Sotomayor is the embodiment of the American Dream and it is that fact alone that will make her decisions on the Court unique and quite possibly stand apart from her colleagues. She will bring to the table a life experience that no other Justice has and it is this point of view that would make her appointment compliment and better represent America as a whole. No doubt, Sonia Sotomayor is a significant nominee but her confirmation would be monumentally historical, not only for women and minorities, but mainly, for this Supreme Court body.
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