Much of the criticism of Sotomayor around her ethnicity has to do with who is perceived—or rather, not perceived to be— a “real” American.
In an insightful op-ed for the NY Daily News, scholar and filmmaker Frances Negrón-Muntaner lays out how the Supreme Court has played a central role in excluding the citizens of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories from full civil rights.
“Unlike other Latinos, the Supreme Court has deeply scarred Puerto Rican political life,” Negrón-Muntaner writes. “The people who live in the territories, nearly 5 million strong, are American citizens only in name.”
She says this of the Sotomayor nomination – “Given this context, that a Puerto Rican may become a Supreme Court judge is a stunning historical development.”
A very good angle to raise in what’s been a circular debate so far around Sotomayor.