If Republicans thought they may have some chance to knock Sonia Sotomayor off her game in questions over her “wise latina” comment, they were wrong. The claim Sotomayor made in 2001 was that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male.” It wasn’t exactly well-worded, but her response to criticism in today’s hearing should ease concerns.
Sotomayor noted that such remarks were often made in speeches to Latino groups. “I was trying to inspire them to believe that their life experiences would enrich the legal system because different life experiences and backgrounds always do,” she said. “I don’t think there is a quarrel with that in our society. I was also trying to inspire them to believe they could become anything they wanted to become just as I had.”
She added: “The context of the words that I spoke have created a misunderstanding.”
Sotomayor aligned herself with former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice, who once said: “I can’t see that on the issues that we address at the court that a wise old woman is going to decide a case differently than a wise old man.”
Sotomayor pledged her impartiality. “To give everyone assurances I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any ethnic, racial, or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.”