President Obama Nominates Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court

President Obama this morning announced his selection of Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States. Sotomayor, who was born and raised in the South Bronx and attended Princeton University and Yale Law School, has served for the past 11 years as a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years. Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement after the President's announcement:

“Nominating a justice to the Supreme Court of the United States is one of a President’s most serious responsibilities. Today, President Obama announced an outstanding nominee in Sonia Sotomayor. Her experience in the American judicial system, coupled with her inspiring life story and fierce intellect, make her uniquely qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court.

“Sonia Sotomayor was born and raised in a public housing project in the South Bronx. Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Sotomayor’s mother instilled in her a belief in the power of a good education and driven by that belief, Sotomayor graduated with the highest honors from Princeton University and Yale Law School.

“Sotomayor has worked at nearly every level of the American judicial system for the past three decades: as a district attorney prosecuting violent crimes, as a corporate litigator working on complex commercial cases, as a federal district judge, and most recently, as a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She has been lauded as a fearless jurist, with a sharp and independent mind and a deep commitment to the rule of law and our constitutional traditions.

“In every way imaginable, Sonia Sotomayor has lived the American dream. She will be the Court’s first Latina, its third woman, and the only Justice on the current court with experience as a trial judge. I commend President Obama on his choice and congratulate Judge Sotomayor on her nomination."

President Obama recorded a video about his announcement - check it out here.

You can also watch a slideshow of photos of Judge Sotomayor and her family from throughout her life on the White House blog.

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