Obama finds another wise Latina

It’s clear that President Obama never needed the 2010 Census to teach him about Latinos.

Last month Obama nominated Texas-native Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers to the Northern District of California court.  If confirmed, Gonzalez-Rogers would become the first Latina to sit on that court.  Sound familiar?  Memories of Sotomayor?  Like Justice Sotomayor, Gonzalez-Rogers is a Princeton grad.  Gonzalez-Rogers currently serves on the Alameda (CA) Superior Court.

The only other Latino on this bench is Edward Davila.  And Obama appointed him.

Obama has received plenty of criticism from some Latino activists for his “inaction” on the immigration front.  Clearly, there’s work to be done on immigration, but Obama’s challenge isn’t exactly a walk-in-the park.  But Obama is putting a stake in the ground by being so pioneering with Hispanics on the judicial front.

OK, now to the full disclosures….

I always get excited when I see fellow Princetonians succeed.  Yes, I know Yvonne from Princeton, and her husband is a friend and classmate of mine.  And yes, I voted for Obama in 2008 and will do so again in 2012.

I remember when LA Mayor Villaraigosa was first running for that office and being struck when I learned that there were some Miami Cuban Republicans raising money for him.  When I asked one of them why, he simply said that all Latinos would benefit from having a Latino lead the nation’s second-largest city.

As we all know, our rich and diverse Hispanic community doesn’t unite on every political issue, but I think we’d all agree that appointing more Latinos to every level of our judicial branch bodes well for all Latinos and all Americans.  It’s nice to see us reflected in such a important branch of government.

Yes, I’m biased.  I’m happy to see a President who champions Latinos in the judicial arena.  I hope some of that spirit rubs off on corporate executives.