New York, – The National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) applauds President Obama's Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court and calls for swift confirmation of the nation's first Latino Supreme Court Justice

A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University and an editor of the Yale Law Journal, Sotomayor is an outstanding jurist who has had a long and distinguished career as a public servant, and since 1998, has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Nominated by former President Clinton, Judge Sotomayor received broad bipartisan support in the Senate. Before her appointment to the Second Circuit, she served as a District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York a position for which she was nominated by former President George H.W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Even prior to her tenure on the federal bench, Judge Sotomayor demonstrated her commitment to public service and the rule of law by working as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office.

Dennis deLeon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York City and a member of NLAAN called Sotomayor’s nomination "a monumental day for Latinos. We can finally see ourselves represented on the highest court in the land and President Obama has demonstrated with his choice, that excellence and diversity are not mutually exclusive." 

Soraya Galeas, Director of Community Education for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC and a member of NLAAN stated, “The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor will bring much needed diversity to the Supreme Court as a Latina with great aptitude and a great disposition.”  

“Judge Sotomayor represents all that America stands for and while she has achieved prominence as a lawyer and Judge, she has done so knowing the value of family, friends and community and worked to ensure mortgage insurance coverage to low-income housing and AIDS hospices while on the Board of the State of New York Mortgage Agency,” stated Daniel C. Montoya, Director of External Affairs - Health Program at the American Institutes for Research in Silver Spring, MD and a member of NLAAN.

NLAAN believes that the Supreme Court should reflect the diverse population of the United Sates to ensure that our nation's highest court understands the unique circumstances of all Americans, and its members pledge to work hard to ensure that Jude Sotomayor will receive bi-partisan support from the U.S. Senate as she stands on the threshold of making history for the Latino community.

About NLAAN: The National Latino Hispanic AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) was developed in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis within Latino communities and is a participatory and collaborative network of 300 concerned Latinos, community leaders, health and service providers, advocates and representatives of state and local health departments. NLAAN is a community mobilization effort that identifies and prioritizes the key needs of Latinos on HIV/AIDS care and prevention, sets specific federal policy recommendations, mobilizes Latino leadership and increases access to services and resources.

Media Contact: Oscar Raul Lopez (646) 246-7396