By Derek Spellman and Debby Woodin
news@joplinglobe.com
Local reaction to the confirmation of the first Hispanic to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is strong.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed New York Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a high-court justice.
Adolfo Castillo, a Joplin member of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and a board member of the Hispanic Republicans of Missouri, said he thinks Sotomayor’s nomination and confirmation will inspire the Hispanic community.
A total of 110 people have been confirmed for the Supreme Court before Sotomayor, Castillo said. A total of 106 of those have been white men, while two have been black and two have been women.
“Yes, this is history that is being made,” he said of Sotomayor’s confirmation.
But Castillo said he did have concerns about some of the past statements that Sotomayor has made, including what he described as declarations to the effect that courts should make laws instead of just interpreting them.
“I don’t agree with that,” he said.
Castillo said he also harbored concerns about previous statements in which Sotomayor indicated that a judge should consider not only the U.S. Constitution but also how other countries have addressed issues.
“Her job is to interpret the U.S. Constitution,” he said.
“My personal opinion is that it is about time that a minority went to the Supreme Court,” said Jose Ribra, who works at La Altena grocery store in Carthage. “It is time to change the rules in the United States. We are part of the U.S. too, so we have a right to have somebody in the minority (on the court).
“The good thing is now, we have the right person to be on the court.”
Aldo Dominguez, a Joplin attorney, said he thinks Sotomayor would have been confirmed even if she had not been a Hispanic or a woman.
“Judge Sotomayor in the end was judged on her credentials more so than (because) she was Hispanic,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez said Sotomayor would be a strong addition to the Supreme Court, not only because of the perspective she would bring as a Hispanic and a woman, but also because of her extensive background and her “exemplary record.”
Alice Pantoja, a Joplin businesswoman who has long championed the advancement of professional women, said the bar will be high for Sotomayor.
“I have mixed emotions,” she said. “I want to see women in power, but we lost a good woman on the court who retired. I think all eyes are on her. I think she’s going to have to be very careful what she does. If she does a bad job, it will reflect on Obama and he will have problems with the next election.
“I think she’s going to have to do a very good job, but then, don’t most women anyway?”
