Sotomayor to the Supreme Court -- and not just because she's the
"woman who saved baseball" by ending the strike in 1995, nor simply
because she would be the first Latina ever to serve on the high court.
It was a home run because in her three-decade career as a prosecutor,
judge, private litigator and law professor, she has time and again
earned bipartisan praise as one of America's finest legal minds. And
it was the right choice because Judge Sotomayor -- herself born and
raised in a South Bronx housing project -- has summed up the American
dream in her own incredible story and never once forgotten how the law
affects our daily lives.
Now her historic nomination goes to the Senate. I know that process
well, and I can tell you that the debate of the coming weeks and
months will be shaped by the public response in the next few hours and
days. It's critical that the Senate and the public clearly see where
the American people stand.
Will you add your name to the growing list of Americans who are
pledging to "Stand with Sotomayor" today? Your name and comments will
become part of a public display of support at this crucial time.
Stand with Sotomayor
I've followed Judge Sotomayor's remarkable journey for years. I voted
for her when President George H.W. Bush nominated her for the District
Court in 1992, and I was proud to vote for her again when President
Bill Clinton nominated her for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in
1998.
Born to a Puerto Rican family, Sotomayor grew up in a public housing
project in the South Bronx. She was an avid reader from an early age,
and was first inspired to pursue a legal career by the Nancy Drew
mystery novels. Driven by her mother's belief in the power of
education and her own relentless work ethic, she excelled in school.
She won a scholarship to Princeton University, graduated summa cum
laude, and then went on to attend Yale Law School where she served as
an editor of the prestigious Yale Law Journal.
Like President Obama, Sotomayor passed up many more lucrative
opportunities after law school to put her degree to work for the
public good. She served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York,
tackling some of the hardest cases facing the city, including
robberies, assaults, murders, police brutality, and child pornography.
Her growing reputation for fearlessness and legal brilliance prompted
her first nomination to the federal bench, and she's only continued to
soar.
If confirmed, she would start with more federal judicial experience
than any Justice in a century, more overall judicial experience than
any Justice in 70 years, and replace David Souter as the only Justice
with firsthand experience as a trial judge. She has participated in
over 3,000 panel decisions and authored roughly 400 opinions, expertly
handling difficult issues of constitutional law, complicated
procedural matters, and lawsuits involving complex business
organizations.
In her years on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has earned acclaim from
legal scholars and experts from both sides of the aisle for her
intellectual toughness, her probing oral questioning, and her ability
to issue decisions that hold both factual details and legal doctrines
in equal measure. And she's never failed to apply a steady,
common-sense analysis of how the law touches our daily lives.
Her story is incredible. Her qualifications are undeniable. And her
judgment will serve us all well on the highest court in the land.
Please join me in becoming a part of this historic moment for the
Court and our country. Add your name now to publicly show that you,
too, "Stand with Sotomayor." In these crucial early hours, let us
leave no doubt about the people's support for this extraordinary
nominee.
http://my.barackobama.com/sotomayorstand
Thank you,
Vice President Joe Biden
http://MissouriNetizen.com
http://www.bransonedge.com
http://www.bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com
