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REP. VELAZQUEZ: Well, good morning, everyone. I'm Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, representing the 12th Congressional District in New York City, and also the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Good morning, and thank you for being here.
Today we announce that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has formally endorsed Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the position of associate justice on the highest court of the land -- the building right over there, the United States Supreme Court. Right there. (Chuckles.) Right there.
As a woman, as a Latina, as a New Yorker, as a Puerto Rican and as the chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, it gives me great pride to see that President Barack Obama has nominated such a highly qualified and distinguished individual. Her experience and qualifications speak for themselves.
If confirmed -- and she will -- Sonia Sotomayor will bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years. She will bring more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years.
A wide array of organizations and leaders have come out in support of her nomination, such as the National Sheriffs' Association, NCLR, Law Enforcement Professionals, many of her former law clerks, Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Latino Peace Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Association of District Attorneys, Ken Starr, NAACP, National LGBT Law Association, Earthjustice, National Urban League, Chicago Tribune, New York Times.
For Latinas and Latinos across the country, this is a historic nomination.
We feel a sense of pride when we see someone from our community rise past so many obstacles and challenges and earn her place -- and I repeat, earned her place -- on the highest court of our land.
The pride you see -- I emphasize "earn" because that is exactly what she has done. We are here today to say that we all take pride in the fact that Judge Sonia Sotomayor is eminently prepared and qualified for this position.
This nomination also creates a fundamental change in the way people who have come from similar circumstances view themselves. As a fatherless child growing up in the projects, Sonia could have become just another statistic, but instead she became a star. After graduating from high school, she left the Bronx to go to college -- and not just any college; Princeton University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
In 1976, Sonia enrolled in Yale Law School. While there, she became an editor for the Yale Law Journal, the most prestigious law journal in the country. My friends, if that is not the definition of the American dream, then I don't know what is.
She gives new meaning to the old adage, "It's not where you start but where you finish that counts." Throughout her life, she has demonstrated an unequivocal dedication to justice and equality. Her commitment to judge impartially is unparalleled, and it is what makes her the prime candidate for the Supreme Court.
The Hispanic community is enormously proud of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and with good reason. But you know what? She isn't just a role model for Latinos. She is a role model for all Americans.
The pride you see today in the Latino community is not different than when women saw the first female, Sandra Day O'Connor, appointed to the Court, or the pride that American -- Afro-Americans felt when they saw Thurgood Marshall when he was confirmed.
I don't care if you are black or white, male or female, Democrat or Republican. Judge Sotomayor's experience of emerging from public housing to master the intricacies of an Ivy League education and then to become one of our nation's finest legal minds is an inspiration for all of us.
And with that, I now call to the podium our senator, Bob Menendez, from the State of New Jersey. (Applause.)
SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): Thank you, Madame Chairlady. I want to just reiterate a few things but have a different focus.
Number one, I think, the chairlady said it best on behalf of all of us. And I'm proud to join with my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and who I serve with in the House. We are here today and we take pride in Judge Sotomayor, not because she is Latina, although certainly that is an issue of pride for us.
We take pride because of her incredible intellect, her experience that as the chairlady says makes here, certainly in terms of federal judicial experience, the most experienced in over a century of nominees to this Supreme Court.
There are few judges that have been on the Supreme Court who understand what it is to be a trial judge. And Judge Sotomayor was that as a district court judge.
So for all of her history, we are incredibly proud. And I will be incredibly proud to cast a vote for her, in the United States Senate, and to urge my colleagues to do so.
You know, I think, we have to remember some things, because I see my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle already getting up and ginning up the process, to try to find whatever nail they can try to hang their coat on, whatever excuse they can try to find, to oppose this judge.
But you know, she was originally appointed by George H.W. Bush and then subsequently elevated by President Clinton. That is a show of bipartisan support that proves, good judging transcends political party.
She was approved in one case by a Republican-majority-controlled Senate and in another case by a Democratic-controlled Senate. As a trial judge, she earned a reputation as a sharp and fearless jurist who does not let powerful interests bullying her into departing from the rule of law.
In 1998, she became the first Latina to serve on the U.S Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, one of the most demanding circuits in the entire country.
She has participated in over 3,000 panel decisions. She has authored roughly 400 opinions, handling difficult issues of constitutional law, the complex procedural matters, the lawsuits involving complicated business organizations.
She is widely admired as a judge with a sophisticated grasp of legal doctrine and a keen awareness of the law's impact on everyday life. She understands that upholding the rule of law goes beyond legal theory to ensure consistent, fair, common-sense application of the law to real-world facts.
She is known as a moderate on the court. Judge Sotomayor often foregoes consensus -- I mean -- excuse me -- forges consensus and agreeing with her more conservative nominees far more frequently than she disagrees with them. In cases where Judge Sotomayor and at least one judge appointed by a Republican president were on a three-judge panel, Judge Sotomayor and the Republican appointee agreed on the outcome 95 percent of the time. Judge Richard Wesley, a George W. Bush appointee to the 2nd Circuit, said, quote, "Sonia is an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind. She brings a wealth of knowledge and hard work to all of her endeavors on the court. It's both a pleasure and an honor to serve with her."
And I could go on and on. The point is -- is that this nominee is eminently qualified, more so probably than anyone we've seen in the last hundred years in terms of experience.
Finally, I hope and I will continue to urge my Senate colleagues not to delay this confirmation. The average number of days between nomination and confirmation for the last five Supreme Court justice(s) is 72 days. Justice Roberts was confirmed 72 days after his nomination. Justice Ginsburg was confirmed in just 50 days. It is important to the nation that this nominee be on the court, ready and able to go, when the new session of the court begins on October 1st. And that means that this nominee must have their confirmation opportunity on the Senate floor before we recess in August. That is what we are committed to, that is what we are proud of, and that is why she should be the next Supreme Court justice of the United States Supreme Court.
(Applause.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: Now let me welcome Congressman Charlie Gonzalez, who is the chair of the Judiciary and Civil Rights Task Force.
REP. CHARLES GONZALEZ (D-TX): Madame Chair, thank you very much. I'm going to attempt to be very brief and give you a little bit of background on the role that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has taken for a number of years when it comes to judicial appointments.
Justice Sotomayor's nomination is very unique for many reasons, but this is not the first experience that we've had where the presidential nomination to the highest court, as well as to all other federal courts. We have an Hispanic Judiciary Initiative. I am the chair, and have the privilege of being the chair of that particular initiative. And what we do is we evaluate those individuals that are being considered for the different courts at all different levels.
The criteria would be as follows: His or her commitment to equal justice and right of access to the courts; his or her efforts to support Congress's constitutional authority to pass civil rights legislation; and his or her efforts in support of protecting employment, immigrant and voting rights, as well as educational and political access for all Americans.
Now, some of that history I do want to go and recite to you. As I've said, this is not the first time that we've had some experience with this.
During the Bush administration, our task force, our Congressional Hispanic Caucus, endorsed the following individuals, all Bush nominees that were subsequently approved -- confirmed by the United States Senate: Judge Ed Prado to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; Judge Frank Montalvo, district court, Western District of Texas; Judge Jose Martinez, district court judge out of Florida; and Judge Jose Luis Linares out of New Jersey, a district court there at the federal level. The only individual that we ever opposed was Miguel Estrada for judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, and we can substantiate the basis for that.
We will continue to work with the Senate and the administration to the extent that they will request our assistance. Now, you may ask that this is about two weeks out or less before the process will begin in the consideration of the Sotomayor nomination. But let me give you some background also.
On April 29th, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote a letter to President Obama requesting that he consider the appointment of a Latino to the next vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States.
On May 1st, Justice Souter announced his intention to resign his position. We've been there at -- from the very beginning of this process.
The president promised us two things that he would seek and make in appointments at all levels. One would be excellent -- excellence. That means just not qualifications, but truly that you will excel. And secondly, diversity. And there was no compromise in accomplishing diversity and maintaining that quality and that excellence that this administration has devoted its efforts to.
Justice Sotomayor embodies all of that. So we're very pleased today to formally endorse Justice Sotomayor as associate justice to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thank you very much, and I'll turn it back over to the chairwoman. (Applause.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: Thank you. So now we're open to questions and answers. Any questions?
Q (Off mike.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: (In Spanish.)
Yes.
SEN. MENENDEZ: (In Spanish) --
REP. VELAZQUEZ: And maybe we should also translate into --
SEN. MENENDEZ: Do it in English?
REP. : In English?
REP. VELAZQUEZ: Yeah. But -- yeah.
SEN. MENENDEZ: (In Spanish.)
The question was about the Ricci case and the review of the Supreme Court and whether there is a legitimate complaint or a legitimate way of attacking Judge Sotomayor because of that.
The reality is that the Ricci case is an excellent example of judicial restraint, exactly what Republicans led by my colleague, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Jeff Sessions, wants.
He doesn't want an activist judge. Well, the Ricci case, which is an employment discrimination case, not a affirmative action, which they try to make it, is an example of judicial restraint.
You know, although the judges were sympathetic to the firefighters' discrimination claim, they found themselves bound by the 2nd Circuit's precedent. And they unanimously, unanimously, affirmed the lower court's decision in following precedent and staying true to the rule of law, even though their sympathies might have lied elsewhere.
In essence, that's the very example of what our Republican colleagues say that they want on the Supreme Court. She lived under those precedents. She followed the rule of law. She didn't go where her heart may have been. That's exactly what we want to see in a judge.
REP. VELAZQUEZ: If anything basically what she acknowledged with that decision is that the Constitution is what it is. And we cannot read rights into them. And that is exactly what she did.
Any other questions.
Q (In Spanish.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: (In Spanish.)
Q (In Spanish.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: (In Spanish.)
Q Senator, the Second Amendment seems to be one of the -- (off mike) -- Sotomayor. Can you comment on that?
SEN. MENENDEZ: (In Spanish.)
Q (In Spanish.)
REP. VELAZQUEZ: (In Spanish.)