he was/is Portuguese (being a Sephardic non practicing jew means little I don't know why that was even mentioned) he was/is Hispanic or the meaning of the term word has lost its significance as far as I am concerned. Do we need a study of the root term Hispania ala the Iberian Peninsula and all that encompasses as Rome termed Hispania hence its name and dissemination?

I Do agree with your point ala artificiality of the "Hispanic" classification and I would add superficiality as well if we are going to go there. Grabbing diversity headlines etc. is to me a distraction, we need the best there is to offer, she apparently doesn’t feel that why but I digress and I don’t remember a big deal being made as to Scalia being what was the first of Italian dissent on the SC.

And to get political for a minute it would be worthwhile remembering the nonsense surrounding Miguel Estrada, whom was the first appellate court nominee filibustered, gee, I wonder why? And that whole thing turning into a diversity fest was shameful then as well.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

so Portuguese descent is not Hispanic? okay then...whatever.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

The actual pick is irrelevant. Everyone knew that if elected Obama would make absolutely sure to appoint justices who are across the board as ideologically liberal as its possible to be. The only question is what the demographic background of the said individual(s) will be (assuming this will not be his last appointment).

With a Republican President you never know what kind of justice you'll get. With a Democrat, espcially in these days, you know exactly what you're going to get. We all know what her decisions on most potential cases is going to be (at least on the controversial issues that get the most media attention). I guarantee you Obama's team has THOROUGHLY investigated, line by line, every opinion she's ever written. Believe me. This is why the Democrats wanted the White House so badly.

I'm tired of these picks that cause controversy over race/gender.

I would much rather the news report her history on how she rules according to the constitution.

Is she an activist?

Does she follow the written laws (or try to interpret the law in the ways she wants?)

By your "yardstick" Tiger Woods is English.

Maybe you need a new yardstick that goes beyond what a last name sounds like.
Usually Hispanic means descended from people of Spanish or Latin American origin. People from Portugal aren't Hispanic.
In New York State, "Hispanic" means descended from people of Latin American origin, people from Spain are not considered Hispanic in New York.

Cardozo was not of Spanish or Latin American descent.

Want to get into a fight? Head down to Fall River or New Bedford, and tell a Portagee he's hispanic.............

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So, Portuguese, in a geographic sense does qualify as Hispanic. Interesting. I thought it referred to the Spanish speaking countries. I guess the name Spanish actually comes from Hispania rather than the other way around.

Probably not, if she's a liberal.... they dont' pay taxes. That's the duty of the non liberals, to pay the fucking bill for the whores.

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No, I think Tiger Woods would be English by the yardstick being used to define "Hispanic" today, or at least an "Anglo."

Wouldn't the Portuguese be racist if they don't want to be considered Hispanic? If a straight man is called "gay" and gets mad about it, some people accuse him of "homophobia." Why, they say, there's "absolutely nothing wrong with it." Alas, that's for another thread I imagine...

frankly I have found that Portuguese tell me they consider themselves European, I think our census lists them that way to and has slplit the baby as to Hispanics being s. amer. PR etc...but the when one gets uber nationalistic they say Portuguese, me? I am Italian but when I want to be particular I say I am Sicilian, we have a different dialect and though we were Romes first province we consider ourselves apart from the Italian peninsula, thats how I grew up, but in the end, I am Italian.

i don't wan tot get into a fight over this, I underrated the Hispanic being overseas Latinized countries carry that appellation but in th end, imho, I am not more Sicilian than I am Italian.

And, prior to 1469, the four kingdoms that made up the Iberian Peninsula, the Kingdoms of Portugal and Navarre and the Crowns of Aragon and Castille, were known, altogether throughout the Roman empire and its offshoots as time marched on as Hispania (the Roman name for Iberia). I am an amateur historian so to speak and are more settled in classical history and see it that way. If I ma italian then certainly Cardozo can be Hispanic or of Iberia etc.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

What's a 5 foot 97lb Portagee man going to do about it anyway? /jk

Seriously, nobody cares.

I agree.

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"The captain has turned off the `No Dubbing' sign. You are free to speak any language you choose."

Right, legally, they don't qualify for the beni's (affirmative action, etc). I wonder if an Argentinian of European ancestry qualifies? I honestly never read about that.

So this woman is one of the more liberal judges on the second appelate court. She has stated at a Duke University gathering that she believed the court is there to "set policy". That will come back to haunt her.

She has also stated that personal experiences "affect the facts that judges choose to see." "I simply do not know exactly what the difference will be in my judging," she said in a speech in 2002. "But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage."

That statement screams "I won't be applying the law equally." Not exactly what you want from a judge much less a Supreme Court judge.

I'm not sure that I see her being confirmed. From the vetting reports I have seen, she may have some trouble with some of the moderate Democrats. Also, the report that Republicans will not filibuster because she is Hispanic and Dems will use that against them would be hypocritical on their (dems) part.

Obama picks Sotomayor for Supreme Court - White House- msnbc.com

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American by birth.
Conservative by the grace of God.

Still sore about the war of northern aggression.

she'll be confirmed certainly, but she will have to make her case regarding policy making and why she gets overturned so often.

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It's a relatively fluid term. It usually refers to people from Spanish speaking countries in the western hemisphere. Occasionally it includes Spain, but not generally.

Latinos or Latin-Americans include Brazilians. Sometimes Haitians.

Imperator just doesn't know what he's talking about on the issue.

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