Sonia Sotomayor Takes Oath, Officially Joins Supreme Court (video)
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Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in today by Chief Justice John Roberts in two separate private ceremonies. Her swearing in gives her a lifetime position as the 111th United States Supreme Court justice. She is only the 3rd woman to join the Court and the first justice of Hispanic ethnicity. She is also the first justice nominated by a Democratic president since 1994.
After taking a Constitutional Oath which dates to the 1860s, in a closed ceremony, Sotomayor was administered the Judicial Oath in the Supreme Court’s East Conference Room. Chief Justice Roberts held a sheet of paper with the wording of the oath, and reportedly glanced down at it during the administration of the oath, an apparent attempt to avoid misspeaking as he did during Pres. Obama’s swearing in on 20 January.
Celina Sotomayor, the new justice’s mother, held the Bible on which she placed her left hand while taking the oath. Justice Sotomayor’s brother stood at her side. A few dozen friends and relatives attended the ceremony. Standing under a portrait of revered 19th-century Justice John Marshall, Sotomayor’s swearing in was broadcast live on television, marking the first time that has occurred in the history of the US Supreme Court.
Sotomayor has already begun work to prepare for the first cases she will see as a new justice. According to the Washington Post:
Friends also said that, in the weeks since her confirmation hearings ended last month, Sotomayor, known for prodigious working hours, has begun reading to prepare for the first cases she will help to decide.
She will take her seat on the court in early September when the justices, in a rare act, will convene outside the court’s normal schedule to consider a significant campaign finance case. She will begin her first full term on Oct. 5, the first Monday in October being the traditional start of the court’s year.
In reporting the event, the New York Daily News emphasized Sotomayor’s roots in the Bronx. There were cheers from celebrations in East Harlem and other sections of New York City, where the judge’s heritage and judicial legacy were celebrated. The city has taken pride in her nomination. The Daily News cites several Hispanic women noting the importance of Justice Sotomayor’s mother making sure her children knew they could accomplish anything.
Becoming the 111th Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor not only achieves a lifetime tenure on the nation’s highest court, she also breaks an important barrier for the nation’s Hispanic population, now over 45 million, and recovers the 2nd seat for women, which was lost when Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was replaced by John Roberts, who was later elevated to Chief Justice. It is widely expected that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be the next to retire, meaning a woman might be the likely choice for the next nominee.
While some conservatives remained opposed to Sotomayor’s confirmation, and fully 31 Republicans voted against her, the margin of her confirmation and her presently taking her place on the Court mark an important victory for Pres. Barack Obama. Obama’s first nomination to the Court enjoyed a fairly easy nomination process, despite widespread distortion of her record and her judicial philosophy. The success of his first nominee could give Obama more strength in choosing the next, as one or two more justices are likely to retire during his first term.
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