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Posts Tagged ‘U.S. Supreme Court

Today the Supreme Court is hearing two cases that could hopefully change how the (in)justice system sentences juveniles. The cases specifically deal with sentencing youth to life without parole and if that is unconstitutional. The cases being used are that of Terrance Jamar Graham and Joe Sullivan, who were 16 and 13, respectively, when they committed their crimes. Not surprisingly, considering how in all phases of the criminal (in)justice system people of color are profiled and targeted, the Supreme Court’s ruling could impact the case of Latino Efrén Paredes, Jr., who at age 15 and wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others have admitted guilt.

This week’s News With Nezua discusses what the Supreme Court is up to and what’s at stake.

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I’ve been cramming for the Sotomayor confirmation hearings and just finished reading through a report that statistically looks at some of her court decisions and shows that she’s tended to go with the flow on decisions, rather than be a rogue, activist judge as some have portrayed her, and will likely portray her in the coming days.

I like activists but I understand how in the context of the U.S political system, being called an activist isn’t seen as a good thing. It’s better to be mainstream.

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President Obama_judge SotomayorThis morning the Senate nomination hearing of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court begin this morning at 10.

The first Latina nominee has gotten plenty of press coverage, with more attention paid to stereotypes used against her and her health than her work.

I’m going to try and cover as much of the hearings as I can here this morning before heading off to work (which will likely only be from 10-11 am).

Please also follow VivirLatino’s Twitterstream for updates.

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Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s Senate Confirmation hearing has been set to start on July 13 pero mientras tanto, the racist, sexists attacks continue as questions arise as to what the real issues are behind her nomination.

One angle of attack that hasn’t been covered much in the liberal blogosphere or in the Latino blogmundo is how Sotomayor’s health is being used as an issue and how the intersections of race, gender, ability and class apply.

From Vegans of Color:

Mike Adams asks, Should Judge Sotomayor’s Diabetes Preclude Her from the U.S. Supreme Court? …What do people think about this question? Do you think Mike Adams is being a health elitist with this question? And what does it mean that factors such as institutional and environmental racism have positioned certain populations to be in situations in which they don’t have access to the best foods and health facilities for optimal wellness, in comparison to white middle class demographic in the USA? And how is “healthy” or “optimal wellness” being defined?…is Adams falling into a dangerous eugenist’s mindset with this suggestion- especially if one contextualizes Adam’s concern within the history of suffering in the USA caused by the status quo (historically white straight ‘able bodied’ men) who medicalized certain physical bodies as “defective” which equaled “unhealthy” and “mentally unfit.”?

Below is an excerpt from the article, written by Mike Adams:

A similar question needs to be posed for all our top decision makers, including Sotomayor. Her bones are so fragile, we’ve just learned, that she fractured her ankle walking around the LaGuardia airport. Healthy bones shouldn’t fracture so easily.

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social_security_626_articleYesterday, the Supreme Court issued a decision that could change how undocumented immigrants are treated under the law, specifically in reference to the use of social security numbers.

Today, almost a year since it was used to deport nearly 400 Latino immigrants after the ICE raid in Postville, the Supreme Court issued its decision on Flores-Figueroa vs. United States. Justice Breyer authored the opinion which explained that for aggravated identity theft, the defendant must have known they were misappropriating an actual person’s identity…Ignacio Flores-Figueroa was a Mexican immigrant working in an Illinois steel facility. Unbeknownst to him, the papers he had procured bore the name and number of an actual person. When he was caught, Ignacio pled guilty to the immigration charges but refused to accept the aggravating sentence of identity theft. While the 8th Circuit upheld the conviction, the Supreme Court’s decision today means that Ignacio will serve less time before he is deported.

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VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.

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