Thursday
Jun042009
Hispanic Leaders Voice Support for Sotomayor
Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 4:22PM
By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service
A group of Latino leaders expressed their full support of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Capitol Hill today. A number of leaders from organizations such as the National Hispanic Bar Association (HNBA) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss Sotomayor, who is undergoing a confirmation process with the U.S. Senate.
“At a time in our history, when the Supreme Court is constantly balancing he expansion of law enforcement against individual rights, it is critical that a justice understand the real life consequences the opinions of the highest court in the land have on the lives of the Latinos.” said John Amaya, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Legislative Staff Attorney. “We strongly believe that Judge Sotomayor has the experience and legal judgement that will best serve all Americans.”
In a press release, the Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary (HFJ) said that Sotomayor’s perspective would be critical to the increasing number of cases that are being heard before the Supreme Court that ultimately affect the Latino and immigrant communities.
Reid said just as much as he can’t change who he is and what his life experiences are, “She can’t change who she is. She is going to rely on her life experiences in writing her opinions. That’s who she is. She has made 3,400 decisions while she has been a member of the federal judiciary. She has written opinions on hundreds of those decisions that she’s made and her life story is part of her opinions,” he said.
Sotomayor also continued her meetings with senators on Capitol Hill today. She met with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) this morning. Following their meeting, Menendez said he fully supports Sotomayor and praised her for her depth of judicial experience.
Menendez said he finds her “incredibly well qualified and with an enormous intellectual prowess that I think the committee will see when she answers questions.”
A group of Latino leaders expressed their full support of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Capitol Hill today. A number of leaders from organizations such as the National Hispanic Bar Association (HNBA) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss Sotomayor, who is undergoing a confirmation process with the U.S. Senate.
“At a time in our history, when the Supreme Court is constantly balancing he expansion of law enforcement against individual rights, it is critical that a justice understand the real life consequences the opinions of the highest court in the land have on the lives of the Latinos.” said John Amaya, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Legislative Staff Attorney. “We strongly believe that Judge Sotomayor has the experience and legal judgement that will best serve all Americans.”
In a press release, the Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary (HFJ) said that Sotomayor’s perspective would be critical to the increasing number of cases that are being heard before the Supreme Court that ultimately affect the Latino and immigrant communities.
Reid said just as much as he can’t change who he is and what his life experiences are, “She can’t change who she is. She is going to rely on her life experiences in writing her opinions. That’s who she is. She has made 3,400 decisions while she has been a member of the federal judiciary. She has written opinions on hundreds of those decisions that she’s made and her life story is part of her opinions,” he said.
Sotomayor also continued her meetings with senators on Capitol Hill today. She met with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) this morning. Following their meeting, Menendez said he fully supports Sotomayor and praised her for her depth of judicial experience.
Menendez said he finds her “incredibly well qualified and with an enormous intellectual prowess that I think the committee will see when she answers questions.”
Senators Join T. Boone Pickens In Support of Natural Gas Vehicles
Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) held a press conference Wednesday with billionaire clean energy advocate T. Boone Pickens to present the bipartisan New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act (NAT GAS), which aims to provide financial incentives for the use of natural gas.
“Our economic crisis has shined a spotlight on the urgent need for alternative, cleaner, and cheaper sources of energy that we don’t have to import,” Menendez said. “By making it easier and cheaper to own a vehicle that runs in natural gas, we can help families save money on energy, create new manufacturing jobs and clear our air.”
According to Pickens' website, www.PickensPlan.com, the U.S. possesses a secure and abundant supply of natural gas, with estimated domestic reserves nearly twice that of petroleum. The website also claims that natural gas is 85 percent cleaner and 75 percent cheaper than petroleum.
"We have dramatically increased our nation’s natural gas reserves. We have much more natural gas than we thought we had just a few years ago. And there is a sufficient supply to significantly increase the use of cleaner, greener fuel, as a transportation fuel," explained Hatch.
The NAT GAS Act will extend and increase tax credits for natural gas vehicles and refueling for state and local governments, as well as manufactures.