Center Blog

In addition to the news that Prop 8 was upheld today in California, another important decision came out in the media today when President Obama announced he would nominate Sonia Sotomayor as his pick for the Supreme Court seat that is currently up for grabs.  If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the second female on the current court, the third woman to ever serve on the court, and the first Hispanic justice to serve on the Supreme Court.  Sotomayor currently acts as a federal appeals judge in Manhattan, and has been labeled a “liberal judicial activist” by conservative groups.  For more on Sotomayor’s background, you can check out articles over at the New York Times  and Washington Post.  Here are a few reactions to the announcement:

Pam Spaulding, founder of Pam’s House Blend has a piece on Huffington Post about Prop 8, LGBT rights and the courts:

For most of us, we won’t have our state legislatures to count on to give us marriage equality, and certainly not “the people” if measures like Prop 8 make it on the ballot — our rights will be ultimately be determined by the courts (and the President, Congress, and SCOTUS).

That said, if any or some marriages are nullified today, perhaps we can channel that anger in a positive way. I’m actually kind of skeptical that one can expect logical or rational reactions from angry people being denied civil rights by technicality, but one can try.

Autumn Sandeen at Pam’s House Blend asks some interesting questions around the timing of Obama’s announcement and the Prop 8 ruling, as well as what this nomination may mean for forcing further conversations about gay marriage, especially by Republicans:

Two Questions:
• Do you think the timing of this Supreme Court pick is designed to coincide with the California Supreme Court ruling? This will definitely force Republicans to discuss gay marriage and other social issues that will no doubt further their party image as one that seeks to divide America over social issues. (Am I being too cynical?)

• Do you think we’ll get an official Obama Administration statement on the Prop 8 ruling? We didn’t get statements on other recent events related to same gender marriage/marriage equality rulings and votes — Do you think because of the Supreme Court pick (a focus on the law day) that the administration will have to respond, or do you think they’ll just try to keep quiet?

Change.org’s Gay Rights Blog talks about what this could mean for LGBT rights:

Of course, it’s unclear how supportive Sotomayor will be, but is pretty clear that the right-wing in this country is going to pounce on her to find out how she might rule on issues like same-sex marriage, overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, anti-discrimination legislation, and more.

One other thing to watch out for?  Sotomayor is Catholic.  Be prepared to watch right-wing groups like the Catholic League jump down her throat and call her anti-Catholic if they detect that she might uphold a woman’s right to choose, or be sympathetic to LGBT issues.

GayPolitics.com highlights some of the responses from the LGBT community:

In piece written by Lisa Keen for Bay Windows, Freedom to Marry’s Evan Wolfson said, “I believe she has the demonstrated commitment to principles of equal protection and inclusion that defines a good nominee to the Supreme Court. In choosing Judge Sotomayor, the first Latino candidate for the Supreme Court, President Obama has made a strong and appealing nomination that should and will receive the supportof those committed to equality for lesbians and gay men.”

The Blade  references HRC’s statement:

The Human Rights Campaign noted in a statement that Sotomayor “has consistently recognized the constitutional right to privacy, first articulated in Griswold [v. Connecticut], that lays the foundation for fundamental rights for LGBT people.”

Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section about Obama’s announcement!