Sonia Sotomayor a Supreme Court seat. New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote a joint letter to Obama urging him to appoint Sotomayor, or alternatively Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, to the Supreme Court if a vacancy should arise during his term.<ref name="Schumer/Gillibrand"></ref> The White House first contacted Sotomayor on April 27, 2009, about the possibility of her nomination. On April 30, 2009, Justice David Souter's retirement plans leaked to the media, and Sotomayor received early attention as a possible nominee for Souter's seat to be vacated in June 2009. On May 25, Obama informed Sotomayor of his choice; she later
Hispanic and Latino Americans in Portuguese-speaking countries. Preference of use between the terms among Hispanics and Latinos in the United States often depends on where users of the respective terms reside. Those in the Eastern United States tend to prefer the term "Hispanic," whereas those in the West tend to prefer "Latino". Both terms refer to ethnicity, as a person of Latino or Hispanic origin can be of any race. In Spanish, "Latina" is used for persons of feminine gender; "Latino" is used for those of masculine gender, or by default. For example, a group of mixed or unknown gender would be referred to