is, several republican senator, not just senator kennedy from louisiana, shame on him, have come out the way that they have because of the president's commitment, his pledge to appoint the first black woman to the supreme court. he made the pledge as a candidate. he is keeping it. and i'm fully supportive of that. you know when i joined the senate last year, i became the first latino to represent the state of california. and in this important body. so i can attest firsthand representation matters. the perspective, the voice that we bring to these institutions is critical. and i look forward to being part of this history when we do confirm -- when we do confirm the first black woman as supreme court justice. >> let's get to the nominees. there are a number of names out there, all of them with great life stories and qualifications. what i want to know is,