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First Hispanic Supreme Court justice takes prominent role
Reuters ^ | 4/25/2012 | Joan Biskupic

Posted on 04/25/2012 6:16:51 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts

(Reuters) - The Supreme Court was deep into arguments over Arizona's new immigration law on Wednesday when the high court's first Hispanic justice focused on how difficult it could be for police officers to determine whether someone they stop is in the United States legally.

"What information does your (federal) system have?" Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli as she methodically extracted a core element of the Obama administration's case against the state of Arizona.

"How does that database tell you that someone is illegal as opposed to a citizen?" asked Sotomayor, 57, born in the Bronx to parents who had migrated from Puerto Rico. "Today, if you use the names Sonia Sotomayor, they would probably figure out I was a citizen. But let's assume it's John Doe, who lives in Grand Rapids. ... Is there a citizen database?"

Puerto Ricans have for nearly a century been U.S. citizens, so Sotomayor's family did not face the dilemmas of many other Hispanics who moved to the United States. Yet Sotomayor, who grew up in a housing project and went to Princeton and Yale on scholarships, has referred to the sting of discrimination and feeling "different" among people from elite backgrounds.

Verrilli told her that while many federal databases exist, including one listing U.S. passport holders, there is no citizenship database. "So you have lots of circumstances in which people who are citizens are going to come up (with) no match," he added.

On Wednesday, as Sotomayor, who joined the court in 2009, heard her first major immigration case, she vigorously questioned both sides. She showed a particular concern for the plight of people who might be detained by police based on their race or ethnicity.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: arizona; illegalimmigration; sotomayor; supremecourt
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts
The "first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice" should have been Miguel Estrada, but he had the misfortune of being nominated by a Republican. Only Democrats are allowed to be "first" with minorities.

-PJ

21 posted on 04/26/2012 1:17:49 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you can vote for President, then your children can run for President.)
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To: Political Junkie Too
The "first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice" should have been Miguel Estrada, but he had the misfortune of being nominated by a Republican. Only Democrats are allowed to be "first" with minorities.

Don't forget that Estrada was also attacked on an ethnic basis by NJ senator Bob "Liver Lips" Menendez for not being a "true Latino".

22 posted on 04/26/2012 2:37:59 AM PDT by Hacksaw (If I had a son, he'd look like George Zimmerman.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

I get fairly dark in the summer and am often spoken to in Spanish [which I don’t speak]

But I have plenty of *paper work* to identify myself, should I be asked.


23 posted on 04/26/2012 4:32:47 AM PDT by wolfcreek (‘closed eye’ mentality is the reason for our current reality)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

The First Hispanic Supreme Court justice (she’s single fellows!) and the first half black communist President are incommunicado. Orchestrating how to get the first half black communist President reelected?


24 posted on 04/26/2012 4:47:08 AM PDT by Leep (Enemy of the Statist)
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To: rrstar96; AuH2ORepublican; livius; adorno; wtc911; Willie Green; CGVet58; Clemenza; Narcoleptic; ...
Puerto Rico Ping! Please Freepmail me if you want on or off the list.


25 posted on 04/26/2012 4:58:17 AM PDT by cll (I am the warrant and the sanction)
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To: newzjunkey
Reagan nominated both Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy. They were confirmed. Remember that next time someone laments we need another Reagan.

Your argument put forward is very weak.

26 posted on 04/26/2012 5:09:47 AM PDT by frogjerk (OBAMA NOV 2012 = HORSEMEAT)
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To: Mouton

“Every time I think of the Jug Eared Jackass’s SC appointees, I think of this quote from Julius Caesar:
‘The evil that men do lives after them....’

And I always thought that was Iron Maiden that said that!


27 posted on 04/26/2012 6:07:53 AM PDT by The_Trooper
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Comment #28 Removed by Moderator

To: 1010RD

A former business partner of mine went to high school with Ms. Sotomayor (Cardinal Spellman, I believe). He said she was no great shakes intellectually and she has an Ivy League background for one reason- she is a Latina. My former partner is a Democrat.


29 posted on 04/26/2012 6:56:56 AM PDT by Inwoodian
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

You forgot the BARF ALERT! Lol. And I agree with your assessment of her.


30 posted on 04/26/2012 7:58:13 AM PDT by b4its2late (Patience is not a virtue, it is a waste of time.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

the member of the hispanic KKK gets her/its day in court. La RAZA, La Sodamaker.


31 posted on 04/26/2012 7:59:28 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarmed.)
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To: skeeter
Read the transcript. The government was sliced and diced. It was almost laughable except for the fact that we have had to come to this point.

Official transcript

32 posted on 04/26/2012 8:42:34 AM PDT by kabar
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To: A Navy Vet
I don't want to get into the legalities, but it looks like the USSC is going to uphold some of this Arizona law.

Parts of the law have already been upheld by the federal courts and are in force now. If you read the transcript, the legal issue is preemption. AZ is enforcing federal law more rigorously than the Feds like. Under the AZ law, they identify the illegals and notify the Feds who can take whatever action they want when it comes to removing them. The AZ laws mirror the Fed laws so it is not a matter of the Supremacy clause. Congress can pass a law that provides preemption, but none exists now. Schumer wants to change it. In any event I recommend everyone interested read the transcript. It is a hoot.

The government's defense was shreded by Scalia and Roberts. The states have the right to inquire from the Federal government about immigration status and the Feds must provide it. The Feds are concerned about the AZ priorities of enforcement and the ability of the Feds to respond, i.e., the workload and resources. AZ will be producing too many removeables and not the kinds of people the Feds (under Obama) want to remove. That places them in the box of not enforcing the law even when they have the names of the violators.

33 posted on 04/26/2012 8:56:12 AM PDT by kabar
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To: Inwoodian

Sonya Sotomayor is our Harriet Miers. They are both intellectual lightweights. We stopped Miers, but the wise Latina is now on the court and will probably be there for the next 30 years. She is an affirmative action appointee.


34 posted on 04/26/2012 9:00:19 AM PDT by kabar
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To: Tzar

I’m pretty sure Cardozo was Sephardi.


35 posted on 04/26/2012 9:16:16 AM PDT by RitchieAprile
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

I will make sure to refer to her as a white hispanic from now on. Her skin is lighter than George Zimmerman’s.


36 posted on 04/26/2012 9:23:11 AM PDT by cvq3842 (Thanks for all responses, and flames, in advance.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts; Fred Nerks

Soto Sayso is easy to get rid of. Just prove Obama is unqualified under article II of the Constitution, and every appointment Obama ever made would be null and void.
That is actually much easier than many think.

Alabama is on the right track in terms of examining the issue in the courts.


37 posted on 04/26/2012 9:46:20 AM PDT by Candor7 (Obama fascist info....http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html)
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To: A Navy Vet

Dems don’t abide by the same rules Repubs do: The Senate voted 58-42 to confirm Alito. Compare that to the near unanimous votes Dem Presidential nominees get.


38 posted on 04/26/2012 10:07:51 AM PDT by PghBaldy (Obama is afraid if he needs to start a fight with Catholics. He's losing the women's vote!!!)
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To: Noob1999

ithink shes cute


39 posted on 04/26/2012 11:50:53 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Cheney/Rumsfeld 2012)
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To: frogjerk

We need another Reagan because he was a sweet man with an iron will. I had been taught that he was an ogre from childhood, and opposed him most of his terms, but in the end had to admit that the lucky old Irishman had done what he had set out to do.


40 posted on 04/26/2012 11:55:52 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Cheney/Rumsfeld 2012)
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