Sotomayor a former member of La Raza

by Jeremy P. Jacobs - 06/04/09 4:24 PM ET

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a member of the National Council of La Raza for six years, according to her Senate questionaire released Wednesday.

Sotomayor, who would be the first Latina Supreme Court justice, was a member of the group form 1998 to 2004.

From the questionnaire:

National Council of La Raza 1998 – 2004
Member
The Council works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans in five key areas: assets and investments, civil rights and immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appeared with the Raul Yzaguirre, the founder of the National Council of La Raza (“The Race”), and other Hispanic leaders on Thursday and said that conservatives are “grasping at straws” to criticize Sotomayor.

“I don’t know why it should be a fight,” Reid said of the confirmation process. “At this point, they’re grasping at straws. I guess you can pick a fight over nothing, and maybe they want to fight over nothing, but at this stage her credentials are very loud and clear.”

“Her ethnicity is a plus, but in no way means she