President Obama’s decision to nominate Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court has cast a spotlight on New York. Judge Sotomayor, who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents and was raised in a Bronx housing project not far from Yankee Stadium, and her biography was emphasized in a White House news conference at which Mr. Obama announced the nomination.
Below are statements from New York politicians responding to the Sotomayor nomination.
From Senator Charles E. Schumer:
This is an historic choice, and much more. Judge Sotomayor meets three very important standards in filling this Supreme Court vacancy—excellence, moderation and diversity. First, she is a top-of-the-class legal mind who achieved the very highest honors at the nation’s foremost academic institutions. Second, she is a moderate who was selected for the District Court by the first President Bush and was confirmed with Republican votes. Unlike the last President Bush, who solely sought nominees from the extreme right for the High Court, President Obama has not reached to the far left end of the spectrum to fill this vacancy.
In addition to having more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years, Sotomayor will bring an important perspective to the Court as both a woman and a Latina. Her life story, which has taken her from a public housing project in the Bronx to the finest schools in the county and a distinguished legal career, is beyond compelling. It will give the Court some needed understanding of how ordinary Americans live. Her outstanding legal mind, and her compelling life experience, is just the combination this Court needs in its next justice.
Given her track record of excellence and moderation, and her life story, it’s going to be very hard for any senator, Republican or Democrat, to vote against her.
From Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand:
I spoke with President Obama this morning and told him that he had made a historic and fantastic decision. In Judge Sotomayor, we have a superbly qualified jurist, who understands, respects, and connects with the people whose lives will be affected by the Court. Judge Sotomayor will bring invaluable experience and much needed diversity to our nation’s highest court. I look forward to a respectful and swift confirmation process in which Congress and the American people can learn more about Judge Sotomayor’s phenomenal qualifications.
From the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau:
President Obama has made an outstanding choice in selecting Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Throughout her career Judge Sotomayor has shown that she possesses the wisdom, intelligence, collegiality, and good character needed to fill the position for which she has been nominated. It is a credit to the President, and indeed to the United States, that an individual born in humble circumstances in the South Bronx can, simply by dint of talent and hard work, rise to be recognized as the right candidate for a seat on the highest Court in the land.
From Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg:
When I met with the President in the Oval Office earlier this month, I took the opportunity to tell him that Sonia Sotomayor would be an outstanding choice for the Supreme Court, and people whose legal opinions I greatly respect speak very highly of her. She has been an incredibly good federal judge, and having risen from humble beginnings in the Bronx, she brings a perspective that will serve the Court – and our nation – very well. Her story is a perfect example of the kind of opportunity that is available in this City – and this country – to those who devote themselves to their dreams. Judge Sotomayor was first recommended to the federal bench by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan – and of all his great legacies, she may prove to be one of the most important.
From Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr.:
President Obama has made an outstanding choice in selecting Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor has a long and accomplished career as a jurist, and is recognized for her intellectual rigor. During her career, she has earned the deep respect of her peers on the bench, and she is now poised to shatter another barrier by becoming the first Latino to serve on the Court. I join many New Yorkers in applauding our President on a wise choice, and look forward to her confirmation by the Senate and yet another unprecedented moment in our nation’s history when Judge Sotomayor is elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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