Sonia Sotomayor, Obama, and Catholic Education

When Obama introduced his nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States, Sonia Sotomayor, he played up her background. He told of her compelling personal story.

Transcript

BARACK OBAMA: Sonia’s parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during Second World War. Her mother is part of the Women’s Army Corps. And, in fact, her mother’s here today, and I’d like us all to acknowledge Sonia’s mom.

(APPLAUSE)

Sonia’s mom has been a little choked up.

(LAUGHTER)

But she -- Sonia’s mother began a family tradition of giving back to this country.

Sonia’s father was a factory worker with a third-grade education who didn’t speak English.

But like Sonia’s mother, he had a willingness to work hard, a strong sense of family, and a belief in the American dream.

When Sonia was 9, her father passed away, and her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to provide for Sonia and her brother -- who’s also here today, is a doctor, and a terrific success in his own right -- but Sonia’s mom bought the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood, sent her children to a Catholic school called Cardinal Spellman, out of the belief that with a good education here in America all things are possible.

With the support of family, friends and teachers, Sonia earned scholarships to Princeton, where she graduated at the top of her class, and Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal, stepping onto the path that led her here today.

As Obama read from his teleprompters (look left, right, left, right, left, right, etc.), I was struck by his endorsement of Catholic schools.

Obama said, "Sonia’s mom bought the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood, sent her children to a Catholic school called Cardinal Spellman, out of the belief that with a good education here in America all things are possible."

So Sotomayor's mom worked to give her daughter the best education that she could. Obama emphasizes that she sent Sotomayor to a Catholic school, Cardinal Spellman, to get the education that would give her the foundation that would lead her to Princeton and Yale Law School.

Obama says that Sotomayor's mother believed that "with a good education in America all things are possible."

Apparently, in the quest to provide her daughter with a quality education, Sotomayor's mom rejected public schools and chose Cardinal Spellman High School.

She made a good choice.

While I doubt that Obama realized that he had dissed a public school education, albeit subtly, he did.

Another thing, if Sotomayor is confirmed, she would be the sixth Catholic justice on the court.