Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

1. Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the bench than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. Over her three-decade career, she has served in a wide variety of legal roles, including as a prosecutor, litigator, and judge.

2. Judge Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She was the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the youngest member of the court when appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. While on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has consistently protected the rights of working Americans, ruling in favor of health benefits and fair wages for workers in several cases.

4. Judge Sotomayor has shown strong support for First Amendment rights, including in cases of religious expression and the rights to assembly and free speech.

5. Judge Sotomayor has a strong record on civil rights cases, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

6. Judge Sotomayor embodies the American dream. Born to Puerto Rican parents, she grew up in a South Bronx housing project and was raised from age nine by a single mother, excelling in school and working her way to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University and to become an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School .

7. In 1995, Judge Sotomayor "saved baseball" when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

8. Judge Sotomayor ruled in favor of the environment in a case of protecting aquatic life in the vicinity of power plants in 2007, a decision that was overturned by the Roberts Supreme Court.

9. In 1992, Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate without opposition after being appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush.

10. Judge Sotomayor is a widely respected legal figure, having been described as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind," "highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets," and "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity."

Looking at the Wall

With my little home office fixed up to be both a combination of the day job as well as the writing world I had time to glance around the office today (the phones weren't bad today). The wall directly in front of my work computer has several different sheets and scraps of paper taped there for ease in locating work information. It looks professional and yet free. This made me think it was really a good reference point of how I am: very professional with a quick change if needed for the writing world or even for the job. I am like the ocean with ebbs and flows and rise and falls of tides. The thought of that made me smile broadly, especially since I have never seen the ocean.

A Saturday Among Saturdays

I have not felt well for a while and when I finally made it to the doctor yesterday there was an explanation as to why I was feeling like crap and meds prescribed to help me get over this current slow-down of the steam roller known as Me.

Today I have actually permitted myself to rest even though the girl in me is screaming I could have gone to get my nails done (which is true), but the nails can get done tomorrow or later on in the week if necessary. Right? Right. So I have done nothing but just relax and be at peace and now am preparing to go and do a little on-line shopping for a new game for the DSi. Have finished the first phase of Lego's Indiana Jones, which is the Raiders of the Lost Ark and now am preparing to head into Temple of Doom. Have I said lately how much I love my Nintendo DSi?

Sitting Quiet for a Moment

It has been so long since I have been able to sit down and compose my thoughts and hectic life into some semblance of order that, for a moment, I felt over-whelmed by everything I felt like I needed to explain or say as well as all of those wonderful things I would like to share with all of you.

If everything goes well, as I believe it will, the long hiatus is over between me and blogging, as well as knitting and having a life. Yes, I am still working at the same job since January, but I am working from home now, which is something I am actually having to get used to, despite the fact I am working in my own home!

Gone are the times, currently, of having to get up and be ready for my ride on Wheels two hours before work just so I would be able to be there on time (not late). Gone is having to get up in plenty of time to put on the make-up and iron the clothes (or spray them with the Downy wrinkle-free stuff). And, much to my surprise, I miss it. I am sure this is a phase that is going to pass.

My entire unit is a work-at-home unit now. They trained us in office and then they sent us home to do our jobs. My wall in front of my work computer looks just like the cubicle wall at the office now with papers and slips of information and numbers here and there. Everything can be glanced at and used. It is quite efficient. Again, it is hard to believe it is all in my own home office.

All that needs to be done is to figure out the proper time of rising in the morning so I can get blogging and other writing projects out onto the 'Net or into e-mails for submissions to different magazines and places: Time management, in other words.