Sotomayor supreme court biography of barack obama

United States Supreme Court nomination

On May 26, 2009, PresidentBarack Obama announced his selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, to replace retiring Justice David Souter. Sotomayor's nomination was submitted to the United States Senate on June 1, 2009, when the 111th Congress reconvened after its Memorial Day recess. Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2009 by a 68–31 vote, and was sworn in by Chief JusticeJohn Roberts on August 8, 2009, becoming the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.^[1]

When nominated, Sotomayor was a sitting judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, a position to which she had been appointed by Bill Clinton in 1998. Earlier, she served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, appointed by George H. W. Bush in 1992.

Nomination

Potential candidates

•

Sonia Sotomayor

1954–

Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?

Sonia Sotomayor is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, upon which she has served since 2009. Appointed by then-President Barack Obama following the retirement of Justice David Souter, Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court justice in United States history, as well as the first woman of color to serve on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor previously served as a U.S. District Court judge starting in 1992 and was elevated to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Sonia Maria Sotomayor
BORN: June 25, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: New York City, New York
SPOUSE: Kevin Noonan (1976–1983)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Early Life

Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in the South Bronx area of New York City on June 25, 1954. She is the eldest of two children born to Juan and Celina Baez Sotomayor, who were of Puerto Rican descent. Sotomayor’s family functioned on a very modest income; Celina was a nurse at

•

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

The Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor this afternoon, 68-31, making her the 111th Supreme Court Justice, only the third kvinna Justice, and the first Hispanic Justice. Speaking shortly after the confirmation, the President said he was grateful for the Senate's confirmation, and gave special thanks to the Senate Judiciary Committee for their hard work. He then reflected on Judge Sotomayor's qualifications, and the historic nature of her confirmation:

 

The members of our Supreme Court are granted life tenure and are charged with the vital and difficult task of applying principles set forth at our founding to the questions and controversies of our time. Over the past 10 weeks, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate have assessed Judge Sotomayor’s fitness for this work. They've scrutinized her record as a prosecutor, as a litigator, and as a judge. They've gauged her respect for the proper role of each branch of our g