Elections Have Consequences: Judge Sonia Sotomayor

This is another good day in America! Our new president announced yesterday that he is nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the Supreme Court.

Elections have consequences. Our president demonstrated this fact once again with this appointment.

Judge Sotomayor is a talented and fair-minded jurist and will be the first Hispanic Justice on the Supreme Court. Her record shows that she'll bring an open mind to the Court and rule on each case according to its particular merits.

I imagine that Michael Steele, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney will object to Sotomayor's confirmation. It won't matter. America wants a qualified woman and a qualified Hispanic on the Supreme Court.

Obama can check off another campaign promise -- to select a person who has demonstrated an abiding commitment to the core constitutional values of justice and equality under the law, someone who understands the impact that the law has on the everyday lives of ordinary Americans.

Sonia Sotomayor's decades-long legal career is a powerful stepping stone to the high court.

1. She graduated from Yale Law School where she was Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Managing Editor of the Yale Studies in World Public Order.


2. She was Assistant District Attorney for New York County from 1979-1984.


3. And she has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 1998, before that serving on the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York since 1992.

This nomination is good news for people who care about the future of our rights and liberties. Her nomination is bad for GOP nutcases like Tom Tancredo and Rush Limbaugh.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be a justice that makes all villagers proud.



Elections have consequences. President Obama continues to play chess while his opponents are playing checkers. Hispanics, women and all of America are feeling good this week to be living in the Obama era!