Actually, Sotomayer’s comment is even worse IN context than is is out of context.
She’s trying to make a point about diversity-is-good, but in a very clumsy way.
Diversity is either good in and of itself, regardless of the backgrounds involved, or it is not.
No need to say one would make BETTER decisions because of one’s race, sex or background. That actually negates the diversity-is-good argument!
The argument for diversity-is-good is premised on the plurality of viewpoints benefiting the whole ... not whether one’s viewpoints are better than others.
At the very least, she’s inarticulate and did’t make a logical point ... a serious deficiency in a SC Judge. If it were just this one quote, I would give her a pass. She may have been speaking extemporaneously. But she has made many such illogical arguments.
Racism is one thing, but lack of logic is quite another.
Great post.