DNC Officers and Caucus Chairs Applaud President Obama’s Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court

Washington, DC – The Officers and Caucus Chairs of the Democratic National Committee issued the following joint statement after President Obama announced his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. She would be the Court’s third woman to serve and its first Hispanic justice. DNC Officers and Caucus Chairs are listed below the statement.

“Nominating a justice to the Supreme Court of the United States is one of a President’s most serious and consequential responsibilities. Today, we commend President Obama on his selection of Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court.

“Judge Sotomayor’s impeccable resume makes her one of the most qualified nominees in recent memory. After graduating at the top of her class at Princeton University and Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal, Sotomayor worked as a big city prosecutor, a corporate litigator, a federal district judge and most recently, as a judge on the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. She would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in the last 100 years.

“Judge Sotomayor also has an inspiring personal story. Sotomayor's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. She was born and raised in a public housing project in the South Bronx, steps from Yankee stadium. Only in America, could someone rise from such humble beginnings to the highest court in the land.

“Sotomayor’s stirring personal history and three decades of experience in nearly every level of America’s judicial system make her uniquely qualified for the Supreme Court. Her powerful intellect and reputation as a fearless jurist, in combination with her profound respect for the rule of law and common sense understanding of how those laws affect the realities of people lives, make her an outstanding choice. We congratulate President Obama on this historic decision and congratulate Judge Sotomayor on her nomination.”

DNC Officers & Caucus Chairs:

Donna Brazile Ramona Martinez
DNC Vice Chair of Voter Registration & Participation DNC Hispanic Caucus Chair

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Mame Reiley
DNC Vice Chair DNC Women's Caucus Chair

Rep. Mike Honda Bel Leong-Hong
DNC Vice Chair DNC APIA Caucus Chair

Linda Chavez-Thompson Rick Stafford
DNC Vice Chair DNC LGBT Caucus Chair

Raymond Buckley Virgie M. Rollins
DNC Vice Chair, ASDC President DNC Black Caucus Chair

Alice Germond
DNC Secretary

Jane Stetson
DNC Finance Chair

Andrew Tobias
DNC Treasurer