Judge Sonia Maria Sotomayor

Judge Sotomayor, who now sits as an appeals court judge, was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court on May 26, 2009.

Basic biographical information.

"Sonia Sotomayor's inspired journey was built upon the strength of a mother's love in uncertain times. Her parents had moved to New York from Puerto Rico as World War II raged. Sonia, now 54, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 8, and her father, a tool-and-die factory worker with a grade-school education, died the following year at 42."

Here's information from the official White House web site.

"A diehard Yankees fan, the Bronx-born Sotomayor is considered in legal circles a top contender for the Supreme Court.
Read more: "Bronx judge Sonia Sotomayor would be first Latina on Supreme Court if she replaces Justice (David) Souter."

"Mrs. (Celina) Sotomayor, 81, was not hard to find on Tuesday, the day President Obama chose her daughter for the Supreme Court. She was the one weeping copiously on national television as Sonia Sotomayor expressed her gratitude. "I have often said that I am all I am because of her, and I am only half the woman she is,” Judge Sotomayor said, in a moment of raw emotion that has resonated with mothers and daughters far beyond the White House.

Judge Sotomayor is a first generation American born to parents who were both from Puerto Rico. Despite the fact that she had no lawyer role models among family members or neighbors, she knew from an early age that she wanted to become a lawyer.
"When I was nine or ten, I became enamored of Nancy Drew stories and I wanted to be an investigative detective like her,” Judge Sotomayor recalls. “But I had developed diabetes at 8 and was told I wouldn’t be able to do that kind of work.”

A look at Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Biography.com. ... See who was born today. Died on this day. Born on this day Widget. Photo Galleries. People ...

"She knew exactly who she was in terms of what her opportunity was. She was a Hispanic woman at Princeton and all that that implied at that time. She was going to be a lawyer. She was going to be a judge. And she was shooting for the top," Perlman said. "She is someone who has taken every ounce of her ability and stacked it with complete efficiency toward this goal."

Will the fact that Sonia Sotomayor has survived since childhood with diabetes have an impact on her nomination? Not if she has anything to say about it.

"But most teenagers know what the Supreme Court is, and we occasionally see some of the justices around town. If she gets confirmed and stays in Washington, I hope Judge Sotomayor becomes involved with diabetes organizations here in the city and spends some time with young people who have been diagnosed. The girls with diabetes, especially, could benefit from seeing someone like her rise to the top."

Text of Sonia Sotomayor's remarks after President Barack Obama announced her nomination to the Supreme Court, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions.

"Since becoming the first Hispanic justice, Sotomayor has mamboed with movie stars, exchanged smooches with musicians at the White House and thrown out the first pitch for her beloved New York Yankees. A famous jazz composer even wrote a song about her: "Wise Latina Woman."

In short, Sotomayor has become a celebrity -- all without having made a single major decision at the nation's highest court."

Of the majority opinions that Judge Sonia Sotomayor has authored since becoming an appellate judge in 1998, three of them have been overturned by the Supreme Court. ...

... a statement criticizing President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. There was only ... of Maria Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is ...

Columnists David Brooks and Gail Collins examine Sotomayor's background and influence as a Supreme Court nominee.

The appointment of Maria Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication ... Maria Sotomayor very likely isn't qualified to be on the Supreme Court. ...

"The appointment of Maria Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication ... And that is far more true in Supreme Court nominees that it is in anything ...

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin looks at Sotomayor's background.

"Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor once accused Princeton University of attempting to "relegate" the Puerto Rican and Chicano population to "oblivion," according to a decades-old letter to the editor released by the university's newspaper."

In a speech, Sotomayor was taking issue with then-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's dictum that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion in a case.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," she said.

But less than 24 hours after President Obama's nomination of Sotomayor, now a federal appeals court judge, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had called her a racist.

What did she REALLY say? Separate Internet myths from fact at Snopes.com

The nomination of Sonia Maria Sotomayor is in and let the games begin. Vanderbilt – 09 ... 7 Responses to "Obama Nominates Sonia Maria Sotomayor to the Supreme Court ...

In Sonia Sotomayor, (President Barack) Obama makes an historic choice for the court. With Sonia Sotomayor, he got somebody with a common touch and an uncommon story.

"President Barack Obama has tapped federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice. Here are 10 things about her that you should know."

Originally published October 2008.

"Sonia Sotomayor could be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court. And as we learn more about her, the more questions centered on her ethnic background abound. Was she chosen partly because of her Hispanic origins? Does she consider race in her rulings? Are we focusing too much on her ethnicity and not enough on her judicial history?"

"The Bronx sky sky was leaden gray, but the youngsters had a sunshine all their own as they played and laughed in the Blessed Sacrament School playground Wednesday morning.

"The playground has not changed," said the assistant principal, Herminia Roman.

She meant from about a half-century ago, when little Sonia Sotomayor dashed around here in an identical uniform, blue sweater, white shirt and plaid skirt.
Read more: "Dreams live on at Sotomayor's old school, Blessed Sacrament in the Bronx" - http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/05/28/2009-05-28_dreams_live_on_at_sotomayor_old_school.html#ixzz0GuGwlwRi&A

Some of her critics are using this clip as grounds for Sotomayor's "activist" approach to judicial issues, but not all clips provide the entire context. This is the longer version.

Ruben Navarette lays out the Latino community's support for Sotomayor.

Former Bush aide Karl Rove discusses Sotomayor's nomination.