Senate Confirms Sotomayor As First Latina Justice

Sonia Sotomayor's historic confirmation today to the Supreme Court by the Senate inspired a number of blog reactions, including posts from Latina Lista and Mario Solis-Marich, who wrote:

Both my friends have often served as reliable barometers for what middle class professional Latinas are thinking. Like most of their group they came directly from the proud Latino working class. Like their moms and mine being a successful Latina, whether that is defined as being a professional or producing a generation prepared to fulfill their dreams, is more than necessary it is almost a sacred duty. Their path is apparently not easy. Whether it was my mom working herself into America after growing up on a ranch in Mexico’s northern region or my friends moms establishing their first generation family firmly into the American middle class or their own personal journeys being the first to graduate college and to devote their lives as in one case a professional public servant or as in the other a promising new attorney. Their journey is treacherous and difficult and was one that necessitated a determination and sense of self that one would have to call “wisdom”. So while the story of Sonia Sotomayor has been told as if it is unique and special the power of her biography it is that in many ways it is neither. Sonia Sotomayor is representative of Latinas more often than not.

Sotomayor's future immigration jurisprudence will be scrutinized by me and every other political junkie in the country.  Until now, it's been a mixed bag.  She sat on the Second Circuit panel that issued the landmark FGM asylum case Bah v. Mukasey reversing the BIA's restrictive interpretation of the circumstances under which asylum is available to victims of FGM.  On the other hand, Chuck Schumer was tripping over himself last month to highlight the fact that Sotomayor ruled in favor of the immigrant in only 17% of immigration cases she decided.  The message: no need to worry about undue levels of empathy emanating from Justice Sotomayor to taint the high court.

This blogger will reserve judgment until there is more to judge.  In the meantime, I'll celebrate the appointment of a wise Latina to the Supreme Court.