Sotomayor: Belizean Grove
Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 9:09 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Courts
So which white male on the Senate Judiciary Committee will show outrage over SCOTUS nominee Sonia Sotomayor's membership to an all-women's club? "Sotomayor made the remarks in a cover letter for 10 documents the White House submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The papers supplement a trove of documents and videos, along with a response to a questionnaire, that she turned over earlier this month. Her remarks indicate that some senators have taken an interest in her membership in the group, Belizean Grove, which she mentioned in the questionnaire response.”
“‘I am a member of the Belizean Grove, a private organization of female professionals from the profit, nonprofit and social sectors,’ Judge Sotomayor wrote. ‘The organization does not invidiously discriminate on the basis of sex. Men are involved in its activities — they participate in trips, host events and speak at functions — but to the best of my knowledge, a man has never asked to be considered for membership.’”
She added: “It is also my understanding that all interested individuals are duly considered by the membership committee. For these reasons, I do not believe that my membership in the Belizean Grove violates the Code of Judicial Conduct.”
Politico adds that Sotomayor “also provided additional information and documentation related to her tenure on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, as well as details of a couple of subsequently overturned criminal sentences she imposed."
