WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - President Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor on Monday to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
Sotomayor, 54, must now be confirmed by the Senate. She would become the second female currently on the Court, joining Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Souter announced his retirement nearly a month ago.
It is the third Presidential appointment for Sotomayor. President George Bush appointed her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1991, then President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Her nomination to the Court of Appeals was blocked for more than a year by an anonymous senator. Eventually, her appointment was confirmed with a 67-29 vote.
Sotomayor earned her law degree from Yale University.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at john@legalnewsline.com.