Parts of an interview of Alberto Gonzales by Wolf Blitzer:


Blitzer: All right. Well, now there's going to be -- well, there's a nominee, already, who's Hispanic, a woman.

Gonzales: Yes.

Blitzer: How do you feel about that?

You're the first Hispanic to serve as the attorney general of the United States. What do you think about her?

Gonzales: I think it's a proud day for the Sotomayor family. It's a historic day for the Hispanic community. I don't think that any gender group or ethnic group is entitled to representation on our courts. I don't think that the outcome of a case should depend upon the ethnicity or gender of the judge, any more than the outcome of a case should depend on the ethnicity or gender of a prosecutor or defendant.

But having said that, Wolf, this is a powerful message, a powerful message of hope and opportunity of hope through this appointment, just like there's a powerful message sent when an African-American is elected president or an African-American or Hispanic is appointed as attorney general of the United States. It's a powerful message that a president listens to, and this president obviously did.

Blitzer: Here's what she said back in 2001, and I'll put it up on the screen: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

That's generating some commotion out there.

Gonzales: I'm not sure what that -- what she was trying to say there. I think -- you know, I served on the Texas Supreme Court. And there were times -- there were cases in which I had to interpret a statute. I didn't like the outcome based upon that interpretation as I read the statute, the intention of the state legislature, but I felt obliged by my oath of office to honor that intent of the legislature.

I think it's dangerous when judges impose their own personal views with respect to the outcome of a particular case.