Very early in his administration, President Bush nominated a host of judges. They had one thing in common – they believe their job is to enforce the law vs. creating the law. While I question some of President Bush’s economic decisions, I 100% support his judicial nominations to date. It looks like some Democrats – the ones who delight in judges who unconstitutionally impose social policies that would never be passed by representatives who have to face elections – are gearing up to stop as many of these nominations as possible. For example, let us look at Miguel Estrada. His nomination was held up by the Senate Judiciary Committee for 631 days! Fortunately, these Democrats lost control of the Senate Judiciary Committee in January after November’s elections and the Republicans only needed a few weeks to review Estrada’s qualifications before releasing his name for Senate approval or disapproval. This is one of the reasons Independents like myself get disgusted with the Left. There is no reason to hold up a nomination for almost 2 years! If you disagree with the nomination, state so, release the nomination for a Senate vote, and vote against him. Don’t hide behind the need for more review while you are really waiting for another President.

Now that Estrada’s nomination has been finally released, the Senate should vote on his nomination shortly. So is he qualified? Well, Miguel Estrada comes recommended by the American Bar Association – hardly a friend to conservatives – as well as the expected business and Hispanic organizations. In the words of Paul Weyrich, Estrada exemplifies the American Dream, a legal immigrant who came to this country as a teenager speaking little English, but graduating from Harvard Law School and demonstrating his knowledge of the law by arguing 15 cases before the Supreme Court. Weyrich has done his homework and rebuts the smear tactics being used by Estrada’s opponents.

In a more emotional piece, Leo Lacayo claims It is high time for Latinos to come to the aid of other Latinos and stop being the peons of the political plantation that Democrats want to keep us on. Dare we go stray from the fold and take the good path-- the path to freedom and greatness, so that the Jesse Jacksons and the Tom Daschels of the world can be denied the hijacking of our representation? I wonder if this will energize the “Hispanic” community to swing Right? That is certainly the hope of the Republicans and the fear of the Democrats.

However, I doubt it. Even though Estrada, if confirmed, would be the first Latino to serve on the D.C. Court of Appeals, the very idea of a unilateral “Hispanic” community makes as much sense as expecting a diverse Europe to speak with one voice. First of all, I believe the entire idea of racism is a leftover relic of Darwinism and needs to be abandoned. As modern biologists have discovered, humankind is one race. The biological definition of different species is when they cannot interbreed. I don’t think anyone is ignorant enough to say different people groups cannot procreate. But even if there was value in grouping people by ‘race’ – which I doubt – the Hispanic grouping is more artificial than most. The cultures of Mexico, Cuba, and Spain are quite different from each other. Yet if you come from one of these countries (or many others where Spanish may be spoken), you may be considered Hispanic. As you might expect, people from different cultures will have different values. And a lot depends upon where they reside in the U.S. as well. For example, Hispanics in Texas overwhelmingly voted Republican and love George Bush. While Hispanics in California overwhelmingly voted for the Democrats, mostly due to how Californian Republicans responded to immigration issues.

So I don’t expect Estrada’s nomination will influence any of the Hispanics who are already firmly behind one party or the other. But I do expect the Independents amongst us – whether they are “Hispanic” or not – will be watching the Senate carefully. Seeing how worthy judges are treated will influence our voting behavior. If you are an American citizen, I urge you to contact your Senators and ask them to support Michael Estrada.

Update: According to Fox News, The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Honduran-born Estrada last Thursday on a 10-9 party line vote. Looks like some of the Democrats are going to try for a filibuster. But two Democratic senators -- John Breaux of Louisiana and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota -- have approached GOP Senate Judiciary Committee staff aides and requested information about Estrada that they can use to defend a potential vote in favor of his nomination.