Justice Sotomayor to lead Times Square ball drop. Undignified?
Yes, it鈥檚 true 鈥� Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will play a key role in the drop of the New Year鈥檚 Eve ball in Times Square on Tuesday night. She鈥檒l lead the ceremonial 60-second countdown and push the button which begins the ball鈥檚 final descent.
Organizers of the event noted that Justice Sotomayor will be the first high court judge to play such a role, which we would have thought went without saying. However, the choice here is apt in that Sotomayor is a Bronx native and evangelist for all things New York City, including its pace of life and the speed of its ordered-in food delivery.
She was chosen for the New Year鈥檚 Eve honor in part because of her inspirational story of rising from modest origins to become the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, .
鈥淛ustice Sotomayor is an inspiration to many, and it is a privilege to welcome her to our celebration to ring in 2014,鈥� said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. 鈥淲ho better to join us in the Crossroads of the World than one of New York鈥檚 own?鈥�
Given that Sotomayor was tapped for the court by President Obama in 2009, there鈥檚 been some grumbling on the right that her appearance is unseemly. The conservative news site Twitchy headlined their piece on this issue
(Yes, Ms. Cyrus will perform on stage in Times Square in the 11 p.m. hour, according to the event schedule. She鈥檒l be pretty far from Sotomayor, however, so it鈥檚 unlikely they鈥檒l meet.)
However, we鈥檒l note that in performing this public role, Sotomayor is following in the footsteps of conservative colleague Antonin Scalia, who has become something of celebrity jurist in his own right.
In 2005, Justice Scalia, the first Italian-American Supreme Court justice, served as grand marshal of New York鈥檚 Columbus Day Parade, an honor previously given to actress Sophia Loren, among others. Like other justices, he speaks often at law schools. But he鈥檚 also addressed incoming House Republicans, and he delights in publicly skewering what he believes to be misbegotten liberal dogmas.
Prior to Scalia鈥檚 appointment to the court by Ronald Reagan in 1986, Supreme Court justices for the most part eschewed publicity, wrote George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley in a lengthy 2011 piece on the subject. But to some extent he has pioneered a path of higher-profile speeches and public position-taking that some of his colleagues now follow.
鈥淪calia is the first real celebrity justice,鈥� in The Washington Post.
He鈥檚 also the high court鈥檚 firearms instructor, apparently. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan grew up in New York City, like Sotomayor. Consequently, she had little to say when in making the rounds of the Senate prior to her confirmation vote lawmakers asked her if she had ever handled a gun.
She promised them she鈥檇 ask Scalia to take her hunting, and she did.
鈥淗e thought it was hilarious. He thought it was a total crackup,鈥� earlier this year. (Hmm, another public appearance by a justice here, we鈥檒l just point out.)
Now Justice Kagan and Scalia hunt ducks two or three times a year. They鈥檝e even been to Wyoming to shoot deer.
