President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court to replace the retiring Justice David Souter. (AP Photo/White House)

Obama Nominates First Hispanic Woman to Sit on the Supreme Court

The most powerful court in the United States may get a new member who is different than anyone else who served on it. A Hispanic person was nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sonia Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic person to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. She also would be only the third woman. She would be the 111th person to serve as a justice.

President Barack Obama announced May 26 that he is going to nominate Sotomayor to the court. Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican descent.

Sotomayor was a federal judge in the state of New York. She later was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals.

Has a distinguished career in law
Obama said Sotomayor has had a distinguished career over three decades. The president said she has worked at almost every level of the legal system. He also said she has had a wide range of experiences. He said those experiences will make her a valuable member of the court. 

The United States Senate will vote on the nomination. If more than half of the 100 Senators vote for the nominee, Sotomayor will become a Supreme Court Justice.

Democrats hold more than 50 seats in the Senate. Obama is a Democrat. The nomination is expected to pass. Some Republican Senators are expected to vote for her.  

The Supreme Court has nine Justices. The Justices decide cases that come to the court on appeal. Justices who are appointed to the court can serve as long as they want.

Many of the court’s most important decisions are decided on votes of 5-to-4. Sotomayor is not expected to change the way many of the cases are decided.

Justices are supposed to decide cases based on legal facts. They are not supposed to let their personal feelings affect how they vote. 

Justice Souter is retiring
Justice David Souter announced early this year he would retire. Souter was appointed to the court 19 years ago. Sotomayer will fill Souter’s seat if she is approved.

Souter generally voted with the liberal side of the court. Legal experts think Sotomayor will vote on cases much like the way Souter did.

Sotomayer is 54-years-old. She was born in New York City. She lived in public housing projects as a child. She received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. She then graduated from Yale University’s law school. She started her legal career as a prosecutor in New York City.

Sotormayor has a medical condition that the Obama administration was concerned about. She has had diabetes since childhood. But she has been successful in treating it.

The Senate will hold hearings on Sotomayor’s nomination. She is expected to be asked questions during the hearings.

Sotomayor currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The court is based in New York City. The court hears appeals on federal issues from three states. Those states are New York, Connecticut and Vermont.