President Selects Supreme Court Appointee

Special Report - May 27, 2009
In a press conference yesterday morning, President Obama announced Sonia Sotomayor as his choice to fill Justice David Souter’s vacated seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before her nomination today, Judge Sotomayor served on the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, which includes her home state of New York. If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor would become the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

While Sotomayor’s appointment is historic, the New York Times draws attention to a statement she made at a 2005 conference at Duke University. At the conference, Sotomayor said that “the Court of Appeals is where policy is made.”

Sotomayor was appointed to the Federal District Court by President George H. W. Bush and was later elevated to the Court of Appeals by President Clinton. With each appointment, Sotomayor received bipartisan support. Before sitting in the Supreme Court, Sotomayor must first be confirmed by the U.S Senate.

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