© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Debating The First Latina Supreme Court Nominee

Published May 27, 2009 at 12:00 PM EDT
In this handout image recently provided by The White House, Judge Sonia Sotomayor poses for a photograph.
Stacey Ilyse Photography
/
The White House via Getty Images
In this handout image recently provided by The White House, Judge Sonia Sotomayor poses for a photograph.

President Obama has nominated U.S. Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court yesterday. If confirmed, she will be only the third woman to be on the Court, and the first Hispanic. Supporters say her ethnicity and gender are positives that will bring vital diversity and balance to the Court. But exactly how would her ethnicity really influence her actions or style?

Lia Epperson, a professor of Constitutional Law at Santa Clara University; Ramona Romero, national president of the Hispanic National Bar Association and Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent of the online magazine Slate, discuss how much Sotomayor's gender and ethnicity might factor into her empathy as a Supreme Court justice.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
NPR Top Stories

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Protect Connecticut Public

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Protect Connecticut Public

Related Content