The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) last week expressed its support for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. 

U.S. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, L, steps up to speak after U.S. President Barack Obama announced her as his choice of nomination in this May 26, 2009 file photo. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee expressed support for Sotomayor’s confirmation  July 14. REUTERS/Jim Young

“Judge Sotomayor’s extensive professional record makes her one of the most qualified nominees to the court in recent history,” the group said in a release.
ADC’s largest chapter is based in Dearborn.

“ADC believes Judge Sotomayor will safeguard the civil rights and civil liberties of all persons protected by the Constitution and her record as a trial judge and an appellate court judge indicates the same,” the release read. “Hearing nearly 1000 cases at the appellate level and authoring approximately 400 opinions, Judge Sotomayor has demonstrated a commitment to the law, justice and fairness time and again.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday postponed for a week its vote on Sotomayor’s confirmation.

The appeals court judge would become the third woman and the first Hispanic woman on the nation’s highest court.

ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora expressed concern over attacks from conservatives on Sotomayor’s past statements on ethnicity.

“ADC is dismayed at the nature of some of the criticism that has been directed against Judge Sotomayor by some officials and in the media. We believe Judge Sotomayor should be a Supreme Court Justice based on her judicial record… Similar tactics were employed against the first Jewish-American nominee and the first African-American nominee,” said Shora.

Conservatives have challenged Sotomayor on a statement she once made in a speech to students about the perspective a “wise Latina” could bring to judicial decisions. Republican senators have said the statement indicates the judge lets her background and personal feelings affect her decisions.

“Should similar criticism face the first Arab-American nominee to the Supreme Court one day, we would respond as all other serious advocates of civil rights and liberties would: Let’s look at the record. In Judge Sotomayor’s case, her extensive record proves she is highly qualified to be a Supreme Court Justice.”