Panelists endorse Sotomayor to be high court justice

Sonia Sotomayor deserves to be confirmed as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice, the judge's supporters said Wednesday in Las Vegas.

In a panel convened by a national Hispanic group that's lobbying on behalf of Sotomayor, UNLV Boyd School of Law Dean John White, state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and others said Sotomayor's qualifications are excellent, and her race and gender only add to her appeal.

"There are many reasons why Ms. Sotomayor is qualified," Cortez Masto said. "The fact that she is a Latina is not one of them."

Sotomayor's sterling educational credentials, her stints as a New York prosecutor and business litigator, and her time on the federal bench make her an ideal candidate for the nation's highest court, while her life as a Puerto Rican raised in the projects of the Bronx gives her a valuable perspective, Cortez Masto said.

Cortez Masto and others on the panel addressed the 2001 speech in which Sotomayor said "a wise Latina" could "reach a better conclusion than a white male." Critics have cited the passage to argue that Sotomayor sees one race as superior to another.

The panelists argued that Sotomayor meant all judges unavoidably bring their perspectives to bear on their decisions, from Justice Clarence Thomas, a black man from rural Georgia, to Justice Samuel Alito, whose grandparents were Italian immigrants.

"We are not appointing a racist because she is a Latina," Cortez Masto said. "We are appointing a well qualified person with a differing perspective because of her life experience."

Panelist Launce Rake of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said a review of Sotomayor's judicial opinions reveals her to be a moderate, "not a firebrand liberal."

Sylvia Lazos, a Boyd School professor who has researched diversity in the federal judiciary, said Sotomayor's "compassion" and "connection to the lives of real people" might make a difference in cases involving minority communities. She cited Ricci v. DeStefano, in which the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled for a group of white Connecticut firefighters, overturning the position of a panel that included Sotomayor.

There were good arguments on both sides, Lazos said, and the lower court's position was one of judicial restraint, following established precedent rather than making new law.

Also serving on the panel organized by Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary were Chelsie Campbell, a board member of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, and Felipe Ortiz, an ex-president of the National Latino Peace Officer Association. The audience was urged to call on Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to support Sotomayor.

Sotomayor's confirmation hearings are scheduled to begin Monday and observers expect her to sail through. A spokesman for Ensign, who has not taken a position on her nomination, said he is trying to schedule a meeting with her.

A local group that has raised concerns about Sotomayor, while not opposing her nomination outright, said her record raises questions.

"Judge Sotomayor's record indicates that she shows favoritism to certain groups over others and puts her political opinions and affiliations over the rule of law," said Ryan Erwin, a consultant to the Nevada Judicial Network, which is affiliated with the national Judicial Confirmation Network. "I'm not qualified to say whether or not she should be approved; however, there are clearly things that should give people pause."

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.