Hispanic Groups Lobby For High Court Nominee

WASHINGTON The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Thursday endorsedfederal Judge Jose Cabranes for the Supreme Court vacancy, seeking toconvince President Clinton that it is time to put a Hispanic on thehigh court.

Other Hispanic groups, including the Hispanic National BarAssociation, also announced their support for the 53-year-old judge,named to the federal bench in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.

But two major Hispanic organizations - the National Council ofLa Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund - were noticeablyabsent from the support for Cabranes.

Their silence underscored the continuing division within theHispanic community about whether …