Today, President Obama made history by picking a female Hispanic jurist, Sonia Sotomayor, to fill retiring Justice Souter's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Congratulations President Obama on making an outstanding selection of a qualified woman and minority. Women make up 51 % of the U.S. population, yet in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court out of 110 justices, only 2 have been women. Right now, there is only one woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. It is time to for our nation to progress not only with its enlightened laws, but with action.
President Obama commented that Justice Sotomayor is an inspiring woman with the intellect and compassion to interpret the U.S. Constitution. Obama's selection shows his own intellect and his leadership. As a former professor of Constitutional law, he has unique insight into the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed for life and it is not unusual for U.S. Supreme Court justices to serve for many years.
Justice Sotomayor, in her prior 1997 confirmation hearing for her federal judgeship, said "I don't believe we should bend the constitution under any circumstances. It says what it says. We should do honor to it." If Justice Sotomayor is confirmed and she adheres to her expressed view of honoring the constitution, Obama will have made a good choice.
The U.S. should employ the best people and be fair to all its citizens in selecting people to fill the ranks of civil servants; and, that includes filling positions of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, while appointed for life, are still employees of the U.S. government which means employees of the people. This nomination sets the tone for employers throughout the nation. Let the faces of our leadership reflect the faces of our people.
