( CNN ) -- With President Obama 's nomination Tuesday , a federal appellate judge could become the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court justice and the third woman to serve on the high court . Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says some have concerns about Sonia Sotomayor 's philosophy . Sonia Sotomayor , who is on the 2nd U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals , was named a U.S. District Court judge by President George H.W . Bush in 1992 , and was elevated to her current seat by President Bill Clinton . Sotomayor , who is of Puerto Rican descent , rose from humble beginnings at a housing project in the South Bronx and went on to attend Princeton University and Yale Law School . CNN 's Wolf Blitzer spoke with former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about what it means to have a Hispanic judge nominated , what problems conservatives may have with her , and whether he believes she 's the right person for the job . Here is an edited version of that interview : . Blitzer : Let 's get to a former member of the Bush administration who has a unique perspective on Sotomayor 's nomination to the United States Supreme Court . That would be the former attorney general of the United States , Alberto Gonzales . He once was seen as a possible contender himself to be the first Latino on the high court . Attorney general , thanks very much for coming in . Gonzales : It 's good to see you , Wolf . Blitzer : How close were you , in your mind ? Did you ever find out how close you were to being President ( George W. ) Bush 's nominee for the Supreme Court ? Gonzales : I did n't concern myself , Wolf , with respect to my status on the short list , so ... Blitzer : But do you know if you were on the short list ? Gonzales : That 's a question , I think , that 's better posed to President Bush . Blitzer : But you -- but you know you were , right ? Gonzales : Listen , I know that people -- people did consider me as a possible candidate for the Supreme Court . 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 do n't think that any gender group or ethnic group is entitled to representation on our courts . I do n'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 : Because that picture that we saw earlier at the White House , the first African-American president now nominating the first Hispanic justice -- to become a United States Supreme Court justice . That says a lot about what 's going on in our country right now . Gonzales : Again , it says a lot about opportunities in our great country . Obviously , this judge still needs to go through a confirmation process . There are questions , some concerns raised in certain quarters about her judicial philosophy , but that 's what the confirmation process is all about . And no nominee is entitled to a free confirmation process , an easy confirmation process . She will be fully vetted , as she should be , because this is a lifetime appointment to our nation 's highest court . 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 has n'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 did n'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 . Blitzer : Did you -- when the president of the United States says he wants something -- someone who 's empathetic , and has had real-world , real-life experiences , is that good or bad ? Gonzales : I think we all -- we 'd like to think that all of our government officials are good people , compassionate people . And obviously , someone with this kind of story makes a very attractive candidate in a confirmation process . But to say that you empathize with someone , I think it 's -- it 's very , very difficult to predict the outcome of a case based upon whether or not a judge feels good about a result . I think there ought to be predictability and certainty in the interpretation of our laws . I think that 's the number one requirement that a president should look for in the nomination of a Supreme Court justice . Blitzer : Based on what you know , the fact that the first President Bush named her to the federal bench to begin with . She was confirmed . Then President Clinton got her to the court of appeals . She was confirmed . Based on what you know about her , do you think she 's qualified to be a United States Supreme Court justice ? Gonzales : I have no questions in my mind about her qualifications in terms of education , experience . A president is not required to nominate the most qualified person to the court . I think he 's obligated to nominate someone who is well qualified , and I think by any measure she is well qualified . I think there are legitimate questions about her judicial philosophy , and again , that will be something that ... will be examined in the confirmation process . Blitzer : As a Hispanic-American , how worried are you that if Republicans or conservatives go really hard against her , that would further alienate the Hispanic vote against the Republicans in the years to come ? Gonzales : Well , obviously , the Republicans are very desirous of the Hispanic vote , but they have an obligation , a duty . They took an oath as well to the Constitution , and they have an obligation to vet every nominee carefully , whether or not that nominee is Hispanic , and you know , white , African-American , male or female . They have an obligation , and I expect them to discharge that obligation . Blitzer : How worried are you , switching gears for a moment , that the Justice Department lawyers who wrote those legal opinions authorizing enhanced interrogation , how worried are you that the system now will come down on them , either disbarment or worse ? Gonzales : What I worry about , Wolf , is that good people , well- intentioned people serving in a historically difficult time , a dangerous time in our nation 's history , may be penalized for doing their best , simply providing the best legal advice that they can . I 'm afraid of the chilling effect that that 's going to have on future lawyers at the Department of Justice . Blitzer : You were the White House counsel at that time . This was before you became the attorney general . Gonzales : That 's correct . Blitzer : And were you involved in some of those legal opinions early on ? Gonzales : Well , what I can say is that I worked with the Department of Justice ensuring that legal advice was provided . But at the end of the day , it 's the responsibility of the Department of Justice to provide the legal guides on behalf of the executive branch . Blitzer : So are you in any -- do you think -- are you afraid that you could be in any legal jeopardy right now ? Gonzales : Wolf , I stand by my record . I did my best to defend our country during very difficult times , so I 'm proud of my service . Blitzer : All right . Attorney general , thanks very much for coming out . Gonzales : Thank you , Wolf .
Former attorney general : No questions in my mind about her education , experience . Alberto Gonzales says some concerns raised about judge 's judicial philosophy . He says Sotomayor 's appointment , like Obama 's election , provides hope . Gonzalez : Still , no gender or ethnic group is entitled to representation on our courts .