diversity is a good thing: why sonia sotomayor is a good pick for supreme court

Ever since President Obama made his first Supreme Court pick last week, both sides of the political aisle have been discussing whether or not she is a good choice.

Here's a little info on Sonia Sotomayor, provided by Wikipedia:

Sonia Sotomayor is a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Sotomayor for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter. If confirmed, she would be the court's first Hispanic justice and third female justice.

That last sentence has caused quite a bit of controversy. Before she was even nominated, The New Republic published a hit piece on Sotomayor which was quickly distributed through the conservative community and became the meme when the issue was raised in debate. She was called the "affirmative action" nominee by Pat Buchanan. Bill O'Reilly and his panelists called Sotomayor's record "disturbing." But the worst condemnation of Sotomayor has come from something she said in 2001 when discussing gender and national origin:

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

The White House is trying to play it off as "poor word choice," but she meant what she said. And it doesn't make her a racist in the slightest, as Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh would have you believe.

It isn't that hard to figure out. Diversity is a good thing. How could a group of nine white men always come to a decision for us all? The Supreme Court should be just as diverse and colorful as the United States- the people that represent us should look like us. It's not affirmative action and it's not choosing someone less qualified because of race or gender.

An American from Puerto Rican descent and humble beginnings may bring a world of different experience to the table when discussing an issue before the Court. She may not always have a better decision than a white male, but she could have a different take on it that could make someone look at it differently. And in a country with so many Hispanics, doesn't it only make sense that on a court of nine justices, at least one would be there representing the Hispanic community and their collective interests? The same goes for her being a woman: we've had women on the Court for years now, but it's because it only makes sense.

By all means, choose the most qualified candidate. But yes, I want a woman on the Court. And yes, I want blacks, Hispanics, Asians, gays, and Muslims to serve as well. There are plenty of highly-qualified minorities out there willing to serve in that capacity, and kudos to President Obama for choosing one of them. We need as many American voices in the mix as possible to find the truly American answer to any given question.

So yes, Limbaugh. et al. In some cases, your experiences that amass from not being a white male sometimes do make you uniquely more qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.