President Barack Obama, perhaps, is just days away from naming his choice to fill the Supreme Court seat being left vacant by retiring Justice David Souter. It is rumored that he considering both Hispanic and women candidates. Either would be significant for the Supreme Court given that in its more than 200 year history, only 4 justices have not been white males. Hispanic groups have been quietly pressing Obama to make history by nominating the first Hispanic.
Ruben Navarrette, a syndicated columnist and CNN.com contributor, says, “For 20 years I’ve been hearing the drumbeat from Latinos … waiting for a Latino on the Supreme Court.”
Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary Coalition was one of the advocacy groups that met privately last week with the White House. New York Federal Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor’sname remains on many lists as a front runner for the vacancy
Estuardo Rodriguez, co-founder of HFJ, says, “That sentiment goes all the way from the extreme that it has to be — has to be — a Latino or Latina justice, to those that say yes, we want a Latino or Latina justice, but if it doesn’t happen, perhaps next time. So it runs the gamut.”
PODER PAC, which works nationally to elect more Latinas to office, officially announced its endorsement of a Latina to be named as the next Supreme Court Justice and strongly urged President Obama to choose from one of the many talented and highly qualified Latina candidates to fill Souter’s seat.
The White House publicly has discouraged advocacy groups from “lobbying” over the Supreme Court pick, saying that it would be futile to their cause. Reports say that Obama could name his nominee as early as next week.
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