I'm in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor...and why Republicans should be, too

The Republicans say that they want a more diverse party, but they do nothing to further this lofty ambition. After a brutal day of voting, they finally elect an African-American to head up their party. However, since that time, Michael Steele has been stripped of his economic powers and transformed into little more than an ineffective talking head. Today, they have the opportunity to support a moderate jurist, they turn this into a potential attack on someone they are trying to restyle as an activist judge. This morning marks the first day in the confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a distinguished jurist and a level-headed, fair and balanced attorney who, with her confirmation, will rise to the highest court in the country.

As the composition of the Senate is in favor of Democrats, 60-40 (just in case anyone is keeping count), it is thought that Judge Sotomayor will easily win confirmation, but somewhere floating in the ether, I will wonder if their attacks are borne out of any legitimate need they have to question her history of jurisprudence or because her complexion is different. At some level, I have little doubt that they will be purposely incendiary, and even brutal to satisfy their base. Heaven forbid they smell blood. Do I need to remind any of you how they turned Harriet Miers into chum for the sharks…and she was one of their own!

The Supreme Court has a long and distinguished history of legal scholars, in fact, they have had 110 of them. 108 of those have been white, the exceptions being late marvelous Justice Thurgood Marshall and current Justice Clarence Thomas (dear readers, please do not begin to boo and hiss at me because I have included his name because while I may disagree with daggone near everything that man has written or added a ditto/Amen to, he should still be afforded the dignity offered to those that sit as members of the Supreme Court, plus regardless of what he does or what he says, he is still a person of color) and 108 of those have been men, those exceptions being Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg (she is simply wonderific…I had to make up a word for a diminutively sized woman who is still standing tall) and Sandra Day O’Connor. Those numbers do not speak to the call of diversity that is needed in a country as diverse as the United States. But, today, President Obama’s pick will go one step in changing both those numbers. And in the coming years, President Obama has a chance to make inroads unlike any we have seen since President Jimmy Carter.

I do not believe Judge Sotomayor is activist. Quite the contrary, she seems to be a well-thought and balance jurist. Her history of opinions leads one to acknowledge that she is a staunch advocate of the law and her duty to uphold it has never wavered based on her written opinions. There was some hubbub made of the firefighters, but if she was truly an activist who chose race, color or culture first, then she would have voted IN FAVOR of them, since one was Puerto Rican. What? You did not know that? Get out of here, but it would make sense as some in the media, in particular one outlet known as Faux acted like they were all poor disenfranchised white guys. Did they also mention that no blacks were hired as a result of those tests? They did not? Shocking. Anyway, I do not have to list the Judge’s stellar qualities, she has been fully vetted by the President and White House staff, praised by colleagues and received public support from her brother via a wonderfully touching interview.

I am in support of reasonable questioning, but attacks are out of the question. As the Republican party attempts to identify with minority voters, in particular those of the brown and black hue, they would be better served to not strike at this woman too hard. Our memories are long. Just ask anyone if they remember the name of Anita Hill. A decidedly brutal attack on Sotomayor would alienate anyone who has a browner hue because in the back of their mind, they will always wonder whether it was ideology that made them attack her or was it the hue of her skin…

That's all.

Y si El Juez Sotomayor lee este, estamos todos orgulloso de usted. Amplío felicitaciones de antemano para hacerme la tercera mujer y la tercera persona de color y la primera Latina en el Supreme Court of the United States of America!!! Si se puede!!!