The Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (“OCHBA”) commends President Obama for his historic nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court

June 12, 2009

The Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (“OCHBA”) commends President Obama for his historic nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court.

Judge Sotomayor’s experiences as a Latina raised by a single mother in a Bronx housing project compliment her sterling credentials and equip her with perspectives that could illuminate legal issues that come before her. Likewise, her experience as a trial judge and an appellate judge, where she was required to apply the rulings of the Supreme Court to cases yield her a depth of experience and a breadth of perspectives that will be invaluable and is currently not represented on our nation’s highest court.

Spanning three decades, Judge Sotomayor’s professional career has touched nearly every aspect of the judicial system providing her with unique qualifications to be the next Supreme Court Justice. She is a highly respected jurist in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where she has served since 1998, and was originally nominated to the federal trial bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. She is also a distinguished graduate of two of America’s leading universities and has been a criminal prosecutor and a corporate litigator. None of the eight justices Judge Sotomayor would join has comparable experience.

The OCHBA urges the U.S. Senate to proceed with the confirmation of Judge Sotomayor in a fair, respectful and expeditious manner as it previously did in her appointments to the United States District Court and Court of Appeal.

Monica E. Lukoschek, 2009 HBA President