Hot Seat: Alberto Gonzales

2:00 a.m. June 10, 2009

Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — who was once mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee and whose name has often been mentioned in recent days by conservatives opposed to President Obama's nomination of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the high court — took our questions about Sotomayor and this moment in U.S. political history.

What went through your mind when President Obama announced his nomination of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court?

I was proud. While I wouldn't have recommended her to George Bush, and George Bush would not have nominated her — based on her ideology — I realize the history of this, the significance of it. I'm going to keep the front page of the newspaper from that day. Because that's history. And that's important. We should not demean or downplay it in any way. A barrier was broken. And I think people need to acknowledge that. It's important.

What do you hope the nation's Latino community takes away from this historic experience?

I hope Latinos are mature enough to accept the fact that it's OK to question her ideology. I would understand resentment in the Latino community at people questioning her qualifications, because I don't think that argument is legitimate. However, questioning her ideology is perfectly fair game as far as I'm concerned. And Latinos need to accept that.
You have aided in the vetting of many candidates for federal judgeships.

Do you think Sotomayor is a good candidate for the high court or a flawed one?

There are five factors that a president should look at in deciding who to nominate to the Supreme Court: professional excellence; ideology; political factors like a person's race or gender — that is perfectly acceptable; confirmability; integrity and character. Based on my observations, and based on my recommendation of hundreds of federal judges, she is well-qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

In your opinion, how should the process work from here?

She should be vetted on her ideology. But even with respect to those questions, they should be respectful. They should be fair. No one should get a free pass, just because they're a woman or a Hispanic or an African-American . . . they should all be vetted. This is, after all, a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land.

What do you make of the argument being advanced by some conservatives — including some members of your own party — that Sotomayor would not have been chosen or even seriously considered were she not Hispanic?

This notion that this is an affirmative action pick is laughable because, first of all, she is qualified. So I think what they're saying is, the only reason she is being picked is “because she's Hispanic.â€