By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
She has been called a "trailblazer" and "brilliant" and now, Judge Sonia Sotomayor can add presidential nominee to the United States Supreme Court to the list.
In what was an anticipated announcement, President Barack Obama chose the Princeton and Yale Law School graduate who grew up in the Bronx, a "Newyorican" inspired by the Nancy Drew books of her childhood and the dramas of Perry Mason to take a place on the bench following the resignation of current Justice David Souter.
"Of the many responsibilities granted to a President by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice," Obama said during his announcement Tuesday morning. "So I don't take this decision lightly. I've made it only after deep reflection and careful deliberation."
If she passes through the approval process, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic justice to be appointed to the bench and only the third female – joining former justice Sandra Day O'Connor and current justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
And should she in fact replace Souter, she would reportedly be the only justice on the bench with experience as a trial judge, the White House said Tuesday.
Speculation of the New York judge came even before the official announcement. Her critics are already calling her an "activist judge." Supporters couldn't be more thrilled.
Others are waiting to see what kind of fight the Republicans will give the judge who is best known for putting an end to the major league baseball strike of 1995 which caused a cancellation of the World Series and had become the "longest work stoppage in professional sports history," and wonder what kinds of consequences might arise from criticism of what could be the first Latino justice.
"Any presidential pick to the Supreme Court is significant," said Dr. Gary Roberts, head of the Political Science Department at Lake Michigan College. "What matters is ideology and the final ideological make-up of the court."
Sotomayor has served a total of 11 years on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the White House said her colleague, Judge Richard C. Wesley, appointee to the Second Circuit by George W. Bush, described her as "an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind. She brings a wealth of knowledge and hard work to all her endeavors on our court.
"It is both a pleasure and an honor to serve with her," he said.
The story of her upbringing could be described as the quintessential American dream. Born into public housing in the South Bronx, Sotomayor's father spoke no English and died when she was just nine years old. Her mother took on two jobs to support her family and placed special importance on education. She was inspired by literature and the law as she grew up in New York and has what many call an "impressive" resume.
"Along the way she's faced down barriers, overcome the odds, lived out the American Dream that brought her parents here so long ago," the president said. "And even as she has accomplished so much in her life, she has never forgotten where she began, never lost touch with the community that supported her."
Addressing the audience which included members of hr family, Sotomayor seemed equal amounts humbled and excited at the possibility on serving the nation's bench, calling the moment "the most humbling honor of my life…
"This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear," she said. "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."
Sotomayor's most complex journey, however, still lay ahead as she awaits full government approval. And though many Republicans may not favor her more liberal views, the president seemed to make an effort to market the nominee to both sides.
"It's a measure of her qualities and her qualifications that Judge Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court by a Republican President, George H.W. Bush, and promoted to the Federal Court of Appeals by a Democrat, Bill Clinton," Obama said. "Walking in the door she would bring more experience on the bench, and more varied experience on the bench, than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed."
But Roberts said, what she may not bring to the bench is change.
"Right now, the Supreme Court leans to the right – to the conservative side," he said. "David Souter was nominated to be a moderate to conservative but has since moved back to the center/ left of the Court. In this regard, if Obama is looking to nominate a moderate to liberal to the Court, he is really only replacing what is already there."