Hearings of Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Jun 27, 2010
Hearings of Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2009 to replace Justice David Souter who had retired. Born in the Bronx, she would be the first Hispanic and the third female nominated to the Court following Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At the time, Sotomayor was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (from 1998, appointed by President Clinton). Before that, she was a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (appointed by President George H. W. Bush). Sotomayor had served as Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office from 1979-1984. She then litigated international commercial matters in New York City at Pavia & Harcourt where she served as an associate and then partner from 1984-1992.
The United States Senate confirmed Justice Sotomayor by a vote of 68-31 on August 6, 2009, with Senators voting primarily along party lines.
