WASHINGTON – President Obama has nominated Federal Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic-American to serve on the high court. Sotomayor grew up poor in the South Bronx, yet she graduated from Yale Law School. Today the president and his nominee appeared together and he lauded her background, citing Sotomayor’s experience as a prosecutor, corporate attorney, and as a judge. He pointed out that a Republican, President George H. W. Bush, appointed the New Yorker to her first judgeship. During her remarks Sotomayor said,
“This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear. It has helped me to understand, respect, and respond to the concerns and arguments of all litigants who appear before me, as well as to the views of my colleagues on the bench. I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses, and government.”