John Nichols, writing in The Nation’s ‘The Beat’ blog, says Sonia Sotomayor’s lifetime of managing Type 1 diabetes is a “big deal” that adds to her value as a potential Supreme Court justice — and not just as a role model.

Sotomayor’s experience is particularly important, Nichols writes, to a court that will be addressing a growing number of cases that focus on health-care access and medical research. An excerpt:

To have a judge who understands, through personal experience, the challenges and the needs of Americans with with serious diseases, lifelong conditions and profound hopes for medical breakthroughs.

This is another piece of the diversity puzzle, an essential piece that ought not be underestimated.

In a very real sense, the disease that steered her toward a legal career and a place on the federal bench is one of the greatest strengths that Judge Sotomayor would bring to the Supreme Court.

Earlier posts here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 11:20 am and is filed under chronic illness, commentary, diabetes, NOT2BEMISSED, Obama administration, research news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.