Oh, don't get me wrong, I really have no problem with sticking with Justices who went to highly selective schools. I just think that the claim that anyone values "diversity" while only considering people whose lives have been substantially similar since around their 18th birthdays is a tad two-faced.

It's the notion that apparently here, in this process, different race and only different race = diversity.

-- and actually no, I hadn't seen that piece in the Times.

I wouldn't say that their lives have been the same since their 18th birthdays--although they have been educated at the same institutions, there seems to be enough difference in ideology, personal background, and experience before the Court to indicate that they're not all the same.

I'm not in the law world, but it looks to me that if you have very specific career goals in mind, where you go is really important--whether it's your local university or Harvard Law. Is that true?

Pretty much.

That does nothing to allay the questionable concept of "diversity" we have in court appointments.

You know, I honestly don't care too much about diversity in the court. I guess I should! Just because someone is of color/female/whatever doesn't mean that they'll reflect my beliefs, or work for my best interests. Pah.

Well that's sort of the point. We should be more about diversity of culture and belief, not diversity of race/color. Race/color is obviously a visible characteristic about someone and that might be why folks latch onto it as being a big deal, but really, is it such a big deal?

Not saying this hypo applies to Sotomayor, 'cuz God knows she grew up in a place which has the power to crush most peoples' hopes and dreams, but why should a black kid who grows up in suburbia in an in-tact, affluent and educated home be considered as someone who might contribute to "diversity" at a mostly white school? Or why should we automatically assume that a black or hispanic judge is going to bring a diverse opinion to a court simply on account of their race?

Perhaps this appointment has more to do with wooing potential minority constituent groups than it does bringing true diversity to the Court?

I think that's it almost entirely. So much of this stuff is about catering to special interest groups.

Yeah, Obama is a crafty one.