LA Times: Sotomayor nudged into judgeship, associates say
Posted by Keith Kamisugi | Filed under Her Story, Media Coverage
In an article posted today on latimes.com, Andrew Zajac writes about Judge Sotomayor building an impressive civic resume before being nudged into applying for a judgeship:
Although she had a strong desire to give back to her community, Sotomayor had to be nudged into applying for a judgeship, said Richard Mattiaccio, a former partner at Pavia & Harcourt.
Mattiaccio recalled hearing that Sotomayor was about to receive an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) for a seat on the bench and heading happily into Botwinik’s office to try to learn more.
“I asked David, ‘How did this happen?’ He said, ‘I just decided her name should be in the hopper.’ It wasn’t Sonia’s initiative. It was David’s.”
Sotomayor’s application went to Gribetz, who at the time was the gatekeeper for Moynihan’s judicial screening committee.
Moynihan was taken by Sotomayor’s background and her achievements, Gribetz said.
“His interest was in the pursuit of excellence and in the pursuit of diversity, which are not mutually exclusive,” Gribetz said.
Tags: Andrew Zajac, civic, experience, lat, latimes, los angeles times
