Obama picks first Hispanic Supreme Court justice

By Stephen Collinson (AFP) – May 26, 2009

WASHINGTON (AFP) — President Barack Obama seized his first chance to reshape the US Supreme Court, nominating judge Sonia Sotomayor, who has an American story to rival his own, as the first Hispanic justice.

Sotomayor, brought up by Puerto Rican parents in a humble home in the Bronx, New York, was a pick in Obama's image, having overcome prejudice and obstacles to excel at law school and launch a quest to the pinnacle of US public life.

"She's faced down barriers, overcome the odds, and lived out the American dream," Obama said of Sotomayor, 54, who got her first taste for justice by reading Nancy Drew detective novels as a child.

"She has never forgotten where she began, never lost touch with the community that supported her," Obama said of the appeals court veteran.

But Republicans vowed to probe Sotomayor's legal paper trail for signs that her political views have tainted her interpretation of the law, though majority Democrats still look well placed to give her Senate confirmation.

The nomination delighted Latino voters, a fast-growing demographic bloc that helped power Obama's 2008 election win, and put a political squeeze on any Republicans if they seek to thwart her confirmation.

"Today is a monumental day for Latinos," said Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, the biggest US Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization.

"Finally, we see ourselves represented on the highest court in the land."

Obama, who worked off a shortlist of four women, from an original 40-person list, said Sotomayor could boast a "brilliant legal career" and "the wisdom accumulated from an inspiring life's journey."

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, who has spent 11 years on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, will replace retiring Justice David Souter but will not likely alter the court's current conservative tilt.

Supreme Court justices, who have lifetime tenure, can influence US civil, social and political life for decades after the departure of the president who nominated them.

Sotomayor, who is divorced with no children, said she had far exceeded her childhood dreams.

"I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government," she said.

Sotomayor, a New York Yankees fan, is also famed for a ruling that ended the 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike.

The scope of the Republican assault against Sotomayor quickly became clear, with powerbrokers questioning if she had let personal prejudices impact her judgments.

Veteran Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, one of seven still-serving Republicans who voted to send Sotomayor to the Second Circuit in 1998, said he would probe whether she followed the law or "personal feelings or politics."

Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, who voted against her in 1998, vowed to examine Sotomayor's record for "personal or political preferences."

Some critics seized on a YouTube clip in which Sotomayor said at a legal seminar that the "court of appeals are where policy is made" before quickly explaining her remark at length.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs warned against taking the quote out of context and said Sotomayor was distinguishing between lower courts, which try cases, and appellate courts, which probe whether law was applied correctly.

"I think she recognizes that even if she's explaining those differences that the word could be misconstrued, and she seemed prescient to note that it would be misconstrued," he said.

A senior administration official signaled the administration was ready for a fight if need be, though majority Democrats are expected to prevail on the nomination.

"We are not expecting a war," the official said, but added "the president believes deeply in this nominee, and she is going to get the full backing of the White House."

Obama aides also said they were confident that Sotomayor, despite suffering from Type-1 diabetes, which can lower life expectancy by 7 to 10 years, was in "good health."

Senate Judiciary hearings are expected by July to allow a full vote on Sotomayor before the court's new term in October.

Princeton-educated Sotomayor would be the second woman on the nine-judge panel, alongside cancer-stricken Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Only four months into his four-year term, Obama may have several more chances to reshape the court, following two picks by his predecessor George W. Bush -- Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, which cemented conservative ranks on the court.