May 26, 2009

President Obama announcing Sonia Sotomayor as his Supreme Court justice nominee made waves at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville.

Lawyers who help the local Hispanic community say nominating Sotomayor represents a big step in making the Hispanic community feel like they have someone to identify with at the highest level of the nation's government.

Lawyer Doug Ford works with the local Hispanic community around Charlottesville. He says if Sotomayer is confirmed as the newest Supreme Court justice her background will probably influence her decisions on key issues like immigration. But, he says the focus for many members of the Hispanic community is the significance of the first black president naming a Hispanic woman as his Supreme Court pick.

President Obama said he wants to try and have Sotomayer confirmed as the newest Supreme Court justice by the time the court begins its next session in October.