Obama Nominates Sotomayor
President Obama today nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor, 54, to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Sotomayor, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, would become the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court if confirmed by the Senate.
Obama called Sotomayor “an inspiring woman who I believe will make a great justice.”
“Over a distingusied career that spans over three decades, Judge Sotomayor has worked at almost every level of our judicial system providing her with a depth of experience and a breadth of experience that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice,” Obama said Tuesday from the East Room of the White House.
The president said Sotomayor has received bipartisan consideration, noting President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Court of Appeals.
“Walking in the door, she would bring more experience on the bench and more varied experience on the bench than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed,” Obama said.
Sotomayor, who has experience as a prosecutor, a litigator, and trial judge, thanked the president for what she called “the most humbling honor of my life.”
“I look forward to working with the Senate in the confirmation process,” Sotomayor said. “I hope as the Senate and the American people learn more about me, they will see that I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences. Today is one of those experiences.”
Obama said Tuesday he hopes the Senate can quickly confirm Sotomayor so she may join the Supreme Court in time for the start of the fall session.
Here are some quick facts about Sotomayor:
- Grew up in a public housing project in the Bronx.
- Puerto Rican parents moved to the United States during World War Two. Her father was a tool-and-die worker and her mother was a nurse. (Father passed away when Sotomayor was six.)
- Earned her A.B. from Princeton in 1976 and her J.D. from Yale in 1979.
- Before entering private law practice in 1984, she served as Assistant District Attorney under New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.
- In 1992, became the youngest judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.