On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the available seat in the Supreme Court. Sotomayor, a federal appeals court judge and native of the Bronx, could become the first female, Puerto Rican court justice.
Sotomayor has a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Yale. During her time at Princeton, Sotomayor became a moderate student advocate who eventually became co-chair of the "Accion Puertorriquena," an organization that sought for equal educational opportunities for Puerto Rican students.
Also, during her time at Yale, she was involved in student activism in order to push for hiring more Hispanic faculty members.
Sotomayor's experiences include roles such as assistant district attorney for New York County, private practice in New York City, and a judge in the US District Court and US Court of Appeals for Second Circuit.
"While Democrats have tried to paint her as a moderate, she has made some questionable comments in the past that Republicans have quickly jumped upon," said Chandler Harris, Auburn's College of Republicans chairman. Harris is referring to this specific quote from Sotomayor: "I would hope that a Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a while male who hasn't lived that life."
Even after hearing comments such as this from the potential court justice, since Democrats control two-thirds of the Senate, Chairman Chandler Harris believes that Sotomayor is expected be confirmed.
To get another approach to Obama's nomination, Auburn's College of Democrat's President, John Page, gives his opinions on the nomination. "President Obama's selection of Sonia Sotomayor is monumental for numerous reasons," Page said. "It puts into place an individual who embodies the American dream and brings a fresh perspective into an important arena. Her judicial experience is unrivaled, and her willingness to consider a moderate's values only strengthens her stellar record."
Finally, the College of Democrat's Social Chair, Randy Krhut, states his opinion on the President's nomination. "I would be glad to see that form of diversity behind the Constitution's Gavel, and with Congress' vacation around the corner, I hope she is quickly approved," Krhut said.
Sotomayor knows that some odds are stacked against her.
"Each day on the bench, I learn something new about the judicial process and about being a professional Latina woman in a world that sometimes looks at me with suspicion."
If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic woman on the nation's highest court.
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