Sonia Sotomayor, Law Libray of Congress Resources
"President Barack Obama was given an early opportunity to leave his stamp on the United States Supreme Court after Justice David Souter's retirement announcement on May 1, 2009. His first choice is Sonia Sotomayor, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 1998. While Sotomayor is unlikely to change the court's current dynamic, the nomination and confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice has become a ritual of critical importance to many Americans, requiring a exhaustive review of the nominees lifetime of legal work and an examination of their views of judicial decision making and the Constitution."