Judge Sotomayor's Diabetes: Not a Weakness But a Strength

From The Nation (5/27/09):

Judge Sotomayor's Diabetes: Not a Weakness But a Strength

by John Nichols

...Sotomayor's most important service as a role model may be as a Type 1 diabetic -- someone who has, since the age of eight, had to deal with what has variously been referred to as "childhood," "juvenile" or "insulin-dependent" diabetes.

This is a big deal.

..."In the days leading up to this nomination, there were several media reports suggesting that Judge Sotomayor should not be considered for this position simply because she has type 1 diabetes," explains R. Paul Robertson, MD, who serves as president for the medical and science sector of the American Diabetes Association. "The advancements in the management of type 1 diabetes have been just amazing over the last two decades and the ability of people to manage their diabetes successfully has been proven. People with diabetes can function and live a long and healthy life."

The ADA adds, "As this process moves forward, the diabetes community expects that Judge Sotomayor's nomination will be evaluated based on her qualifications and years of experience -- and not her diabetes. To evaluate her in any other way would be a disservice to the United States."

Fair points, well made. But let's not be too quick to dismiss the fact of Judge Sotomayor's long struggle with a particularly serious form of diabetes. That experience is an asset for a judicial nominee, especially at this moment in history.

Remember that Judge Sotomayor's diabetes affected her career choices. As a girl she had been drawn to Nancy Drew novels. She wanted to be a police detective. But she determined at an early age that her disease might make it difficult for her to do the job. That's when she made the decision that would eventually lead her to the federal bench.

"If I couldn't do detective work as a police officer, I could do it as a lawyer," she explained in an interview with the New York Daily News...

...It is also important for a court that will deal, increasingly, with healthcare access and medical-research issues.

To have a judge who understands, through personal experience, the challenges and the needs of Americans with serious diseases, lifelong conditions and profound hopes for medical breakthroughs.

This is another piece of the diversity puzzle, an essential piece that ought not be underestimated.

In a very real sense, the disease that steered her toward a legal career and a place on the federal bench is one of the greatest strengths that Judge Sotomayor would bring to the Supreme Court.