Sotomayor adds celebrity to court
WASHINGTON – Apparently, no one told Sonia Sotomayor that Supreme Court justices are supposed to be circumspect, emerging from their marble palace mainly to dispense legal wisdom to law schools, judges’ conferences and lawyers’ meetings.
Since becoming the first Hispanic justice, Sotomayor has mamboed with movie stars and exchanged smooches with musicians at the White House. A famous jazz composer even wrote a song about her: “Wise Latina Woman.”
In short, Sotomayor has become a celebrity – all without having made a major decision at the Supreme Court.
It’s not that other justices don’t have their own particular glamour.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia – both opera lovers – recently had roles in the opening performance of “Ariadne auf Naxos” for the Washington National Opera.
Few Americans can name most of the justices. “Many, many, many more Americans can name the Seven Dwarfs than they can the people on the Supreme Court,” said Bob Thompson, professor of TV and popular culture at Syracuse University.
No so for Sotomayor.
Autograph seekers, picture takers and well-wishers hound her wherever she goes, months after her first appearance in the courtroom.
