Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Obama Picks Sotomayor for the Supreme Court




It is expected that at 10:15am this morning, President Obama will announce that he has picked federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to succeed Justice David Souter who is retiring later this year.

From the Huffington Post:

Sotomayor is a self-described "Newyorkrican" who grew up in a Bronx housing project after her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. The district covers New York, Vermont and Connecticut.

As a judge, she has a bipartisan pedigree. She was first appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then named an appeals judge by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it."


It will now be interesting to see the Republican's response this nominee. There has already been indication from some Republicans that no matter who Obama picked, they would attempt a filibuster.

No comments: