Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Linda Chavez-Thompson and Hispanic Caucus Chair Ramona Martinez issued the following statement after President Obama announced his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Chavez-Thompson is a second-generation Mexican-American who worked in the labor movement for over 40 years, she is the Executive Vice President Emerita of the AFL-CIO. Ramona Martinez served for 16 years on the Denver City Council. She was the first Latina to serve as city council president.
“Nominating a Supreme Court Justice is one of a President’s most serious and consequential responsibilities. We commend President Obama on his decision to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the High Court.
“President Obama’s choice is historic: if confirmed, Judge Sotomayor will be the Court’s first Hispanic justice and the third woman to serve. That is a proud achievement for our country and the Latino community. But Sotomayor is also one of the most qualified nominees in recent memory. She embodies the characteristics and principles President Obama said were critical to making his decision – a nominee with a rigorous intellect, a mastery of the law, a commitment to the constitutional traditions on which this nation was founded and an understanding of how the law affects the everyday lives of individuals.
“Educated at Princeton University and Yale Law School, Sotomayor has worked at every level of the American judicial system — as a big city district attorney, a corporate litigator, a federal district judge and most recently, as an appellate judge on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. She would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in the last 100 years.
“What makes Sotomayor’s credentials all the more impressive is her inspiring personal story. Sotomayor’s parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Her family was one of modest means, but her mother Celina, a nurse, instilled in her a belief in the power of an education. With that belief as her guide, Sotomayor studied hard and excelled in the classroom, rising above and beyond the public housing project in the South Bronx where she grew up, to build a better future for herself and her family.
“Sonia Sotomayor’s intellect, experience and diverse background make her an outstanding choice. We applaud President Obama on his choice and congratulate Judge Sotomayor on her nomination.”
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