Vicente Gonzalez: “let me explain by way of background that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is comprised of 20 Members of this body.…”

“let me explain by way of background that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is comprised of 20 Members of this body. There are 24 Latinos in this August body, 20 of whom are Members of this particular caucus. Early on we realized we had a special duty and responsibility not just to our communities but to all Americans to make sure that we had the most qualified people in the judiciary, especially those that were being advanced on the basis of ethnicity, and especially because they were Latinos because they were supposed to bring something to the table that was very unique based on that particular ethnicity, in this case, being Hispanic. So what we did is we started what we referred to as the Hispanic Judiciary Initiative, and I am going to read from a basic document which provided us the guidance as we proceeded with evaluating and interviewing the nominees that would come before our caucus in order for us to make a recommendation. Statement of Purpose on the Recruitment and Support of Judicial Nominees. Political leadership, particularly in the Federal Government, benefits from a diversity of thought and action. In an effort to promote this ethnicity, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus promotes and encourages Hispanic representation at all levels and every branch of government.”