Obama nominates federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court justice

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, praising her as "an inspiring woman" with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the Constitution wisely."

Intellect is good. How does one interpret the Constitution 'compassionately?' Let's hope the Senate can sort that one out.

"Yo no sé si soy un estadista. Lo que es cierto es que, de la política, lo que me interesa es mandar."
-Manuel Azaña (ex-presidente del segundo república de España)

US Census: Valient logistical effort. Can it work accurately this time?

Ah, the most exciting time of the decade: the US Census!

The census, as we all know of course, is a constitutionally-mandated procedure performed every ten years by the Federal Government designed to apportion money and designate representation in the House of Representatives. Everyone is required to take it.

Batter-up, we're on deck for next year. No argument there.

However, one could make an argument (as a friend of mine recently has) pertaining to who exactly the House of Representatives represents. Does it just represent citizens, or non-citizens as well? With an estimated 12 million+ illegal immigrants in the United States (4 million more than in 2000), these numbers could directly affect the given amount of seats in Congress, especially in those states experiencing a rapid influx of migrants.

My constitutional approach would be that because the census is constitutionally required to document every individual living in the United States - legal or not, the census has every obligation to count those illegal in the United States, and thus use their numbers to apportion seats. Therefore, each representative represents everyone living in their district - legal or not. One could disagree and mention that the rapid influx of illegal immigrants was unforeseeable 250 years ago, which is understandable (thus advocating change). I'd be more inclined though to trust the constitution that has guided through the tumultuous events of our past. Regardless, the census is doing its best to prepare for such documentation, despite the widespread fear amongst immigrants that participating in the census could jeopardize their stay in the U.S.



The new representation in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas is bound to increase, and we'll see the extent of that upswing in the allotted representation following 2010. For those of living in those areas, get ready for the gerrymander. For those of you living in those states with one representative - do not worry, you can't lose seats anyway. For those of you in states bound to lose representation - sorry. But don't worry, the illegal immigrant population may be on the decline. As long as the economy is doing poorly and forcing illegal immigrants to go back home for work, there probably won't be as much change as you think.

Opening Remarks

Bienvenidos amigos!

My name is Justin Schober, and I'm a 22 year old student from Brentwood, TN. I just recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Spanish (concentration in Hispanic Studies). I will be attending the University of La Verne School of Law in Ontario, CA this fall.

I've decided to start this blog to compile my studies regarding the ever-changing nature of American demographics. As a graduate in Spanish with experience in travel and study in Spain, Ecuador, and Mexico, along with internship experience in immigration services, I hope this blog will allow me to sharpen my expertise and share it with others.

Most people roll their eyes when it comes to the workings of immigration, especially concerning immigration from a factually-based perspective (as opposed to an agenda-based one). However, the topic of immigration itself is anything but an 'eye-roller,' and often leads to heated (and unfortunately, uninformed) debate within the American private and public sector about legislation, regulation and assimilation.

That being said, immigration is not only a political and economic issue - it's a cultural issue.

Awareness is key, and thus my stated purpose for this blog. I will of course insert my own opinions that I feel the reader should take into consideration, however promoting a political agenda is of no current interest to me. I encourage anyone reading to comment, criticize and contribute new information concerning the material I post on this blog. Enjoy!