Next week the U.S. Senate will vote on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the first Hispanic and only the third woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite objections from the likes of Texas Republican Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, she is expected to pass with flying colors.

Republicans hammered away at Judge Sotomayor during the recent Judiciary Committee hearings about her remark that a “wise Latina” possibly having a positive impact on decision-making. Republicans also cast in a negative light President Obama’s description of her as “compassionate.”

As we head toward that historic vote in Washington, we thought it would be enlightening to hear from one of Travis County’s own “wise Latinas,” a woman who has been on the bench here for 14 years.

Judge Naranjo, a highly respected Democrat elected most recently to the 419th district court in 2006, graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1985. She is a member of the Travis County Women Lawyers Association, the Austin Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar of Austin.

Question: What did you think of Judge Sotomayor’s “wise Latina” remark in that much-dissected speech and the Republican Senators’ apparent obsession with it during the hearings?
Judge Naranjo: I understood exactly the perspective she was coming from. She was talking about her opinions, her life experiences. She is a Latina, a woman who grew up in the projects and lifted herself up. Those experiences affect you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not following the law. That’s just how you view the world. Her judicial career and opinions show that she did not rule on any bias regarding gender or race. Her rulings were based on legal precedent, not making law from the bench.

Question: Do you think a judge’s background and circumstances have an impact on his or her ability to interpret the law? And if so, is that good or bad?
Judge Naranjo: I’m often asked if it matters if we have diversity on the bench, and I say yes. But that doesn’t mean we don’t all follow the law. I might ask a question of counsel that a man might not. It’s a matter of perspective.

Question: Is there anything wrong with having compassion on the bench? Some Republicans make it sound like a negative.
Judge Naranjo: I would hope not. I’ll just leave it at that.

Question: How do you feel about seeing the first Hispanic and only the third woman heading to the U.S. Supreme Court?
Judge Naranjo: I am elated, elated, elated! When the President made the announcement, I was full of pride — because of Judge Sotomayor’s great accomplishments and because she is such a source of inspiration. She’s extremely qualified and has exceptional trial judge experience. The diversity she will bring to the highest court in our nation fills me with pride, and I am elated that this is happening during my lifetime. I can turn to my daughter and my grandchildren and say, ‘Look. She represents the American dream for all of us.’