One Nuyorican Goes to Washinton?

I'm a bit late posting something about the nomination of Second Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, but better late than never. I'm excited about President Obama's nomination for many reasons, not least of which is that she is Puerto Rican and has some understanding of the issues that face America's territories. While Judge Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, she had deep ties to the Puerto Rican community, serving on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, and apparently writing both her college thesis and a Note for the Yale Law Journal on issues related to Puerto Rico's political status.

The Wall Street Journal paints Judge Sotomayor as alternatively supporting independence for Puerto Rico (in her college thesis) or Puerto Rican Statehood (in her Yale Law Note). Wherever Judge Sotomayor may fall in this spectrum (or did fall during her younger years), it's clear that the history of Puerto Rico's political status has helped form her identity and perspectives. I agree with President Obama that Judge Sotomayor's identity (as well as her impeccable credentials and engaging personality) are an important contribution to the Supreme Court. Having someone on the Court who not only understands but empathizes with Americans in the territories and the District of Columbia who in many ways are treated as second-class citizens will give an important voice to those who are otherwise largely without a voice in the federal government.