Still No Justice For Staten Island

January 13th, 2013

A point Adam Liptak’s profile of Justice Sotomayor drives home well.

There are four justices from New York City these days, each representing a different borough, and it sometimes seems that the court speaks with a New York accent.

Justice Sotomayor, who grew up in the Bronx, recalled getting to know Justice Antonin Scalia, who is from Queens and whose friends call him Nino.

“One day Nino looked at me and said: ‘You’re a real New Yorker. I love you. You take as well you give,’ ” she said with a big laugh. “And I understood. You know, we’re just out there and up front and fun.”

She mentioned a second colleague, Justice Elena Kagan. “I dare say Elena has a little bit of that.” Justice Kagan is from Manhattan, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is more reserved, is from Brooklyn.

“The boroughs are different,” Justice Sotomayor said, “and so are we.”

Indeed, SCOTUS could use a little Staten. Justice Kagan and Justice Ginsburg agree!