Sonia Sotomayer has been confirmed by a 68-31 majority of the United States Senate to become the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Sotomayer was President Barack Obama’s (D) first Supreme Court nominee, and was confirmed by similar margins in the Senate compared to the previous two nominees. Chief Justice John Roberts was confirmed in 2005 by a 78-22 vote and Associate Justice Samuel Alito was confirmed in 2006 by a 58-42 vote. Both Alito and Roberts were nominated by President George W. Bush (R).
Sotomayer is ethnically Puerto Rican, making her the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, and she is only the third woman to serve on the court. Sotomayer will be sworn in by Chief Justice Roberts on Saturday morning and will begin hearing cases with the rest of the court in September and October.