Sonia Sotomayor
Truth-be-told, I have never heard of Sotomayor before her nomination by President Obama to the Supreme Court, but upon hearing her speak (and hearing people speak for/against her nomination) I am inclined to support her nomination (which I’m sure the president is counting on). Jocularity aside, the plot has thickened lately with subtle and not-so-subtle allegations of racism leveled at Sotomayor for the following remarks:
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees. Source New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/15judge.html – Retrieved May 27, 2009
The remark prompted former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to tweet “Imagine a judicial nominee said ‘my experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman’ new racism is no better than old racism,” and “White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw.” (Source: Twitter.com)
Let’s unpack the rhetoric a little. While the ex-speaker’s tweet seems well and good (if it were true), it takes liberty with what Sotomayor said–remember, she said “better conclusion,” which Gingrich twists to mean that a Latina is a “better person” than a white man. This is an intellectually dishonest analysis. If Gingrich wanted to use the statement as evidence, he might have found a concrete example of said racism in her judicial philosophy or judicial opinions.
I’m not going to litigate the matter on this blog because I don’t have all the facts, nor have I had time to review her decisions from the bench (which are quite a bit more important than out-of-context statements). I will say this, though, Sotomayor’s nomination will sink or swim in the court of public opinion.
Interesting fact:
A Google search for “sotomayor racist comments” returns over 20,000 results and several news items.
