Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor, if nominated and confirmed as a replacement to Justice David Souter, would become the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor was born in the Bronx and has been considered by Republican and Democratic administrations for a spot on the high court. She was appointed as a Federal District Court Judge by George H.W. Bush and then to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton.
Sotomayor was editor of Yale Law Review and received her JD in 1979. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney under Robert Morgenthau in New York County. She prosecuted robberies, assaults, murders, police brutality, and child pornography cases. In 1984 she left the DA’s office and went to work at the firm of Pavia & Harcourt. Her specialty was Intellectual Property Litigation.
The ABA ran a profile of Judge Sotomayor in their November 2008 issue profiling “The Lawyers Who May Run America” and called Sotomayor a political centrist. Knowing the ABA this means liberal compared to normal people.
Judge Sotomayor presents some intriguing possibilities and strengths for the President if he decides to nominate Sotomayor. She has gone through a tough confirmation process when she was named to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. She was easily confirmed once it came to a vote, but her nomination was placed on hold for over a year.
Sotomayor appears to be for all intents and purposes the frontrunner for the nomination. Prior to the announcement regarding Justice Souter’s retirement she was discussed as a possible replacement for Justice Ginsberg or Justice Stevens. Nominating Sotomayor would give the President a chance to place another woman on the Court and a Hispanic as well. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Sonia Sotomayor - Video
May 9th, 2009 at 10:42 am
[...] and Souter,” without naming a single opinion she’s written. And former Bush advisor Karl Rove, also on Fox, said Sotomayor has a reputation as “very liberal and very expansive” in her reading of the [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
[...] adviseur van Bush junior en belangrijk figuur binnen de Republikeinen Karl Rove verklaarde eerder tegenover Fox dat Sotomayor de reputatie heeft dat ze erg liberaal en ruimdenkend is. Rove vindt dat Sotomayor [...]