by: Frances G. De La Guardia – CABA President
MIAMI – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg served several generations of women and men while tirelessly championing gender equality. An unshakeable jurist, she took as much pride in authoring majority opinions as she did in her judicial dissents. Her role in history can never be overstated, and we join the nation in mourning her passing.
For over forty-six years, the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) has promoted diversity on the bench at all levels. While non-partisan, our organization nonetheless consistently recognizes the great impact that a diverse judiciary has upon the community that it serves.
Indeed, diversity is one of the strengths of our country and a cornerstone of our judiciary. While striving to achieve fair and equal representation in the judiciary, we are ever mindful that there cannot be true equality without quality.
To be sure, the filling of the vacancy on our highest Court due to Justice Ginsburg’s death should be exercised with extreme judiciousness.
We do not comment on the timing of the nomination and confirmation as that is a question for our elected representatives.
We do note, however, that if a nomination is made, it is imperative that a candidate for the Supreme Court embody the highest of ethical standards, foster a respect for the independence of the judiciary, and have the education, experience, and character necessary to interpret and uphold the Constitution.
South Florida native and first generation American, Judge Barbara Lagoa, the daughter of Cuban exiles, embodies such principles and would be a worthy candidate, whenever such nomination takes place.
