President Obama Nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor to Fill Supreme Court Vacancy; AAJC Applauds Historic Pick 

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Barack Obama announced federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, making her the first Hispanic Supreme Court pick in history. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Sotomayor would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), was present at the White House for the announcement and issued the following statement praising the selection.

“AAJC applauds President Obama’s nomination of Second Circuit Court Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Born to a working class Puerto Rican family, Judge Sotomayor has lived the American dream and is a great example to all Americans. After growing up in a public housing project in the South Bronx to parents born in Puerto Rico, Judge Sotomayor graduated as valedictorian of her high school class, then graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and finally went on to graduate from Yale Law School, where she served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. 

She was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the federal district court for the Southern District of New York in 1992,  President Clinton then appointed Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1998. 

She is the first Latina to serve on that court, and has participated in more than 3,000 panel decisions, authoring roughly 400 published opinions. Judge Sotomayor has a record of excellence and integrity, and is widely admired as a judge with a grasp of legal doctrine and a keen awareness of the law’s impact on everyday life. She clearly understands that upholding the rule of law means going beyond legal theory to ensure consistent, fair, common-sense application of the law to real-world facts. She has been hailed as “a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity” and as “one of the ablest federal judges currently sitting” for her thoughtful opinions. 

If confirmed by the Senate for the Supreme Court, Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years, and more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years.

AAJC urges the Senate to complete confirmation proceedings for Judge Sotomayor before the Court begins its next term in the fall.”