Many Latinos 'delighted' by pick
— -- Mario Lozada has never met Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but he is in law school today because of her.
Lozada, 23, the child of a low-income Puerto Rican family in Philadelphia, was moved to apply to law school after watching two years ago a video of Sotomayor sharing her life's story as the child of a low-income Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. Lozada says he never dreamed he would be accepted into law school and wouldn't have applied except for Sotomayor's encouraging minority students through the video.
On Tuesday, Lozada was in awe that the judge who inspired him from afar may become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
"It still has not sunk in yet. I'm so proud," says Lozada, a first-year Boston College law student who created a Facebook group two months ago supporting Sotomayor's nomination to the high court.
His sentiment is widely shared by Latinos and advocacy groups, who praise Sotomayor's three decades of judicial and legal experience and the perspective she brings from her diverse background.
"Everyone was delighted that this glass ceiling that still existed for Latinos has been broken," says Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
He says Sotomayor's perspective as a Hispanic woman is essential as the court considers civil rights cases. "It's hard to ensure justice for all when you can't see the perspective of all people," Wilkes says.
Some conservative Hispanic groups praise the choice of a Hispanic nominee but say they will withhold judgment until they learn more about her.
"As a Puerto Rican, as a Latino, I commend President Obama in at least recognizing" this fast-growing demographic, says Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. However, he says, "As a Christian leader, I am … exercising due diligence. I'll be looking at Christian values, family values, making sure, once again, she is a nominee who does not want to legislate from the bench."
