Politics as a Religious Experience

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I think it's sensational that Sonia Sotomayor has been nominated for the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama. Apparently so does Matt Drudge, his headline reading, "Obama Picks Latina." So this is a black man nominating an...American...whose parents are Puerto Rican...who is a...no! a woman? That noun ends in an "a" - it's feminine!

Oh will the diversity never end!?

Let's take a look at the current Supreme Court breakdown:

John Roberts: White Male, Roman Catholic
John Paul Stevens: White Male, Protestant
Antonin Scalia: White Male, Roman Catholic (half Italian)
Anthony Kennedy: White Male, Roman Catholic (Not a "real" Kennedy)
David Souter: White Male, Episcopalian
Clarence Thomas: Black Male, Roman Catholic (Succeeded Thurgood Marshall)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: White Female, Jewish
Stephen Breyer: White Male, Jewish
Samuel Alito: White Male, Roman Catholic

Okay, that's:
89% White vs. 75% of the population*
89% Male vs. 49% of the population*

*Based on 2000 Census

So clearly we're under representing women and minorities, right? But just take a look at the religions:

56% Catholic vs. 25% of the population
22% Jewish vs. 1% of the population
11% Protestant vs. 51% of the population (Protestant meaning Christian but not Catholic)
11% Episcopalian vs. 1% of the population

Oy vey! How did all those Jews and Catholics get into the Supreme Court?

While we're diversifying the Court by increasing both the woman and minority categories, we're gaining another Catholic, making 2/3 of the Court Roman Catholic and wiping out Episcopalians entirely.

But even without her nomination, I've noticed a very disturbing trend in the homogeneity the United States Supreme Court (that's homogeneity as in "sameness," not "gayness"). A full 44% of the Supreme Court is controlled by men named John or Anthony. Where are all the other names? So far a Christopher has not been chosen, though John has been the name of 9% of all Supreme Court Justices to have served.

Indeed, the lack of diversity is a shame.