El Mundo Opines on Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court

In another 50 years or so, this editorial will not seem as impactful as it does today.

In the next half of the century, the simple demographics of this nation will undoubtedly make this week’s announcement of the first-ever Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court feel just a bit outdated.

Indeed, many things in our society will be entirely different and the most prevailing one will be the actual “face of America.”  It will certainly make President Barack Obama’s historic nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, a “New York Rican” from the Bronx, an interesting and significant footnote, but appointments and nominations of this nature and scale will be more commonplace in the future.

Today, however, it is a monumental occasion. It is a major and defining moment for all Latinos across the United States, but it is even more special to a very proud and joyful Puerto Rican community that extends all the way from one island up north ( Manhattan ) to a warmer Caribbean island that has produced some of this great nation’s proudest Americans.

Sotomayor’s credentials make us all even prouder as she brings to the table more judicial experience than any nominee in 70 years. She is a Princeton and Yale law school grad who has support from both political parties as she was first appointed on the federal bench by former Republican President George H. Bush.

Her personal journey is just as amazing. Growing up in a housing project in the South Bronx, she was diagnosed with diabetes at age 8 and her father, a blue collar worker with a third-grade education, died the following year. Her mother, Selena Sotomayor, a nurse, raised her and younger brother Juan, who is now a doctor.

El Mundo dedicates this editorial to this unprecedented moment in US history as we are confident that it is one that we will look back as a noteworthy collective accomplishment. The only thing that may possibly taint the occasion is the fact that Sotomayor is a diehard New York Yankees fan.

Nobody’s perfect.

Source:  ElMundoBoston.com

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