| As Phillip told us earlier, President Barack Obama has nominated Justice Sonia Sotomayor to replace the retiring David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The nomination is a historic one. Sotomayor, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, would become the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor would also become the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court, joining Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is currently serving, as the only other women to do so.
Sotomayor's resume is an impressive one. She is a 1979 graduate of Yale Law School and attended Princeton for her undergraduate studies. She started her career as a New York County Assistant District Attorney before going into private practice. She was then nominated to become a U.S. District Court judge by President George H.W. Bush with a recommendation from Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In 1998, after being appointed to the post by President Bill Clinton, Sotomayor started serving in her most recent post as a U.S. Appeals Court judge.
Sotomayor is considered a centrist, or as Jeffrey Toobin put it, "a voice like David Souter for moderate liberalism." While she has been considered a centrist, she has also been known to take liberal views on issues like the environment.
The last time she faced confirmation, Sotomayor was confirmed by a 67-29 vote. Some of the Republicans who supported her confirmation in 1998 are still in the Senate. Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Richard Lugar and Sen. Olympia Snowe are examples. Sen. Susan Collins was also around at that time and voted in favor of Sotomayor.
Not that a Supreme Court justice's confirmation is ever guaranteed, but based on Sotomayor's past performance, it will be tough to see a way that she does not get confirmed. With the Democrats nearing a 60 vote majority and with a handful of Republicans on her side, it looks like Sotomayor won't have too difficult a time getting confirmed. |
