Sonia Sotomayor catholic?

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor attended Roman Catholic schools in New York, but it’s unclear if she is still a practicing Catholic. If she is and her nomination is approved, she would be the sixth Catholic on the court.

Granted, that’s a lot of “ifs”. Not to mention, would it matter?

Cathleen Kaveny, law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said a sixth Catholic in the High Court would illustrate how entrenched the church has become in the U.S. A sixth Catholic with views like Sonia Sotomayor’s also would put the American church’s diversity on display.

“My guess is she’s very much operating in accordance with the commitments of the Catholic social justice tradition which is emphasizing … inclusion, solidarity, justice to those least among us,” Kaveny said. “It’s strand of American Catholic teaching that is somewhat distinct from other Catholic teaching but not incompatible. People emphasize different aspects.”

“‘Different gifts from the same spirit’ to quote St. Paul,” Kaveny added.

That doesn’t mean faith necessarily plays a role in decisions made on the bench, Kaveny said. A judge’s primary commitment to the court is interpreting the law.

Sonia Sotomayor expressed that same sentiment in a 1997 nomination hearing.

"I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance," Sonia Sotomayor said. "It says what it says. We should do honor to it."

Her potential comrade on the court Justice Antonin Scalia has said he would never base decisions on his faith. Other Catholic justices include Samuel Alito, Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice, John G. Roberts Jr. All but Kennedy are considered, for lack of a better term, conservative.

“It shows you that you can’t put Catholicism in the U.S. in a box,” Kaveny said.

What do you think? If Sonia Sotomayor is Catholic, would it matter?

from: newsblogs.chicagotribune.com