Sonia Sotomayor for USSC?

[Caliga]

I would guess those two chicks from Maine.

[ulmont]

Do you know which Republicans besides Lindsey Graham voted for?

Lamar Alexander (TN), Kit Bond (MO), Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), Judd Gregg (NH), Richard Lugar (IN), Mel Martinez (FL), Olympia Snowe (ME) and George Voinovich (OH).

[Admiral Yi]

Arigato.

[The Brain]

Judd Gregg

lol

[derspiess]

So the squinty, Wise Latina made it in.  No big surprise.  But what is the deal with all this business about some "barrier" being removed for hispanics or hispanic women?  Were they being specifically excluded all along?  Wonder how many more "barriers" will be invented so we can talk about how great it is that they're being broken?

[Admiral Yi]

I caught the swearing in, and was struck by the fact that the Justice's oath includes language about ruling "without respect to persons...whether rich or poor."

[merithyn]

Seems to me that it's more of a case of a Hispanic judge finally being high enough up the political food chain to warrant notice for this kind of appointment.

[merithyn]

I caught the swearing in, and was struck by the fact that the Justice's oath includes language about ruling "without respect to persons...whether rich or poor."

Why did that strike you?

[Admiral Yi]

Why did that strike you?

Obama's search for a judge with empathy.

[merithyn]

Ah, I see.

[derspiess]

Seems to me that it's more of a case of a Hispanic judge finally being high enough up the political food chain to warrant notice for this kind of appointment.

I would find that a little patronizing if I were hispanic, but otherwise that's fine-- there just seems to be a subtext that hispanics were actively being excluded somehow.

[merithyn]

I would find that a little patronizing if I were hispanic, but otherwise that's fine-- there just seems to be a subtext that hispanics were actively being excluded somehow.

Why is that patronizing? The reality is that Hispanics (and blacks) WERE actively excluded from appointments and elections to be judges and beyond for a long time. In the last few decades, that changed. Now, one has managed to make it far enough up in the pecking order to be noticed and singled out, something that wouldn't have been possible 20-30 years ago.

In essence, to me, the barrier was broken when the first Hispanics were appointed/elected judges. Once that happened, it was just a matter of time before someone made it to the high court. Same with women and blacks.

[Admiral Yi]

I assume Jim Crow would cover blacks being actively excluded from appointments, but when have Hispanics ever been actively excluded from anything?

[ulmont]

I assume Jim Crow would cover blacks being actively excluded from appointments, but when have Hispanics ever been actively excluded from anything?

Segregated schools, not allowed to serve on juries, the occasional lynching, pretty much the works.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Mexican_sentiment#1940s

[saskganesh]

I assume Jim Crow would cover blacks being actively excluded from appointments, but when have Hispanics ever been actively excluded from anything?

would Meri let her daughter date Jaron?