Hispanics push Obama for a Supreme Court seat

Hispanic groups eager to see one of their own reach the court suggest several women. In addition to Sotomayor, they mention Maria Rivera, who serves on the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; Vanessa Ruiz, from the D.C. Court of Appeals; Martha Vasquez, from the US District Court in New Mexico; and Kim McLane Wardlaw, who serves on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

But if Obama seriously pursues his goal of nominating someone from a “nontraditional” but high-profile background – i.e., not a sitting judge – potentially qualified Hispanic women are harder to find than Hispanic men. Some men who have been mentioned include Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey.

For Obama, the push to nominate a Hispanic justice carries risks.

“If he moves to nominate a Latino, that will definitely generate interest and excitement in the Latino community,” says Matt Barreto, a political scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, who just conducted a national poll of Latino voters showing 81 percent job approval for Obama. But if that nominee does not make it to the court, “there could be a let-down.”

Mr. Barreto’s poll shows that the top issue of concern, by far, for Latino voters is the economy (56 percent), followed by immigration reform (12 percent). Gaining a seat on the Supreme Court does not appear on the list, though the poll was taken before Souter’s retirement was announced.

If Obama is concerned about maintaining Hispanic support for a reelection bid, improving the economy and pushing for comprehensive immigration reform would take priority.

But, says Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), “if the economy doesn’t turn around, immigration stalls, and he doesn’t put a Latino on the Supreme Court, I can see an outright problem for him come the next election cycle.”

For now, though, Mr. Wilkes is happy with the kind of access Hispanic leaders have to the Obama White House, though he is reluctant to discuss the full list of potential justices he'd like to see considered. “The Obama administration doesn’t seem to like to have stuff aired publicly,” says Wilkes.

Gabriela Lemus, president of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, believes the Hispanic community has come a long way in understanding the value of judicial representation.

“People know judges can’t just be brown; they need qualifications and sensitivity to the challenges facing the Latino community,” she says. And, she adds, the need goes far beyond the Supreme Court: Only 4 percent of all federal judges are of Hispanic descent.

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