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Sonia Sotomayor
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Sonia Maria Sotomayor



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Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 6, 2009
Nominated by Barack Obama
Preceded by David Souter

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Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
In office
October 7, 1998 – August 6, 2009
Nominated by Bill Clinton
Preceded by J. Daniel Mahoney

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Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office
August 12, 1992 – October 7, 1998
Nominated by George H. W. Bush
Preceded by John M. Walker, Jr.
Succeeded by Victor Marrero

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Born June 25, 1954 (1954-06-25) (age 55)
The Bronx, New York
Nationality American
Political party Independent[1]
Spouse(s) Kevin Edward Noonan (m. 1976, div. 1983)
Children none
Residence Greenwich Village, New York City
Alma mater Princeton University (A.B.)
Yale Law School (J.D.)
Occupation Prosecutor, lawyer, judge
Religion Roman Catholic (non practising) [2]
Sonia Maria Sotomayor (pronounced /ˈsoʊnjə ˌsoʊtoʊ.ma(ɪ)ˈjɔr/ ( listen), Spanish: /ˈsonja ˌsoto.maˈjoɾ/;[3] born June 25, 1954) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice.

Sotomayor is of Puerto Rican descent and was born in the Bronx. Her father died when she was nine, and she was subsequently raised by her mother. Sotomayor graduated with an A.B., summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1976 and received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal. She was an advocate for the hiring of Latino faculty at both schools. She worked as an assistant district attorney in New York for five years before entering private practice in 1984. She played an active role on the boards of directors for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, and her nomination was confirmed in 1992. In 1995, she issued a preliminary injunction against Major League Baseball which ended the 1994 baseball strike. Sotomayor made a ruling allowing the Wall Street Journal to publish Vince Foster's final note. In 1997, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Her nomination was slowed by the Republican majority in the Senate, but she was eventually confirmed in 1998. On the Second Circuit, Sotomayor heard appeals in more than 3,000 cases and wrote about 380 opinions. Sotomayor has taught at the New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School.

In May 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retired Justice David Souter. Her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate in August 2009 by a vote of 68–31

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