A Qualified Hispanic

Born in Honduras. A broken home. Came to the US at age 17. Had very limited English and mother spoke no English. Graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in four years from Columbia University. Harvard Law School and served as the editor of the Harvard Law Review. Juris Doctorate magna cum laude. Clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Practiced law in New York, served as assistant U.S. attorney and joined the Justice Department as an assistant to the solicitor general under the Clinton administration. Wife died from accidental overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills after a miscarriage. Great record and overcame professional and personal obstacles and adversity. Hailed by several Democratic senators as “the gold standard by which judicial candidates should be judged.”

Sonia Sotomayor?? Nope, Manuel Estrada. When nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. The Democrats put up a seven-month filibuster to deny a full Senate confirmation vote. Manuel gave up and withdrew from consideration.

Senator Kennedy opined, ”This should serve as a wake-up call to the White House that it cannot simply expect the Senate to rubber-stamp judicial nominees.”

Had he been confirmed in 2003, Manuel Estrada could have been the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Complete with “gold standard” qualifications and a great story of overcoming adversity.

So much for the Democratic Party being the party of the minorities and the little guy. So much for an unbiased media. Instead, we get a lifetime appointment of a much less qualified Supreme.