[Infowarrior] - AP: Obama picks Sotomayor for SCOTUS

[Richard Forno]

AP sources: Obama picks Sotomayor for high court  	
May 26 07:43 AM US/Eastern
By BEN FELLER
Associated Press Writer 	

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98DU81G0&show_article=1

		WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals  
Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials  
said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the  
robes of a justice.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring  
Justice David Souter. Two officials described Obama's decision on  
condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.

Administration officials say Sotomayor would bring more judicial  
experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past  
70 years.

A formal announcement was expected at midmorning.

Obama had said publicly he wanted a justice who combined intellect and  
empathy—the ability to understand the troubles of everyday Americans.

Democrats hold a large majority in the Senate, and barring the  
unexpected, Sotomayor's confirmation should be assured.

If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second  
woman on the current court.

Sotomayor is a self-described "Newyorkrican" who grew up in a Bronx  
housing project after her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico.  
She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9,  
growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a  
girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted  
to be a judge.

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former  
prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for  
the Southern District of New York in 1992.

As a judge, she has a bipartisan pedigree. She was first appointed by  
a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then named an appeals judge  
by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

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