Sonia Sotomayor time, and the Portuguese are generally excluded from its meaning. Sotomayor is among four women to have historically served on the Court, together with Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, the last of whom won confirmation a year after Sotomayor by a comparable 63–37 vote. Sotomayor's appointment gave the Court a record six Roman Catholic justices serving at the same time. Sotomayor became one of the three youngest of the justices sitting on the Court, along with John Roberts and Elena Kagan. Sotomayor cast her first vote as an associate Supreme Court justice on August 17, 2009,
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination no speech can fully capture my joy in this moment." Sotomayor was formally invested in the Court on September 8, 2009, in a special session. Former President George H. W. Bush defended Sotomayor and blasted former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh for accusing her of being racist, calling it "not fair" and "not right". Bush also lauded Sotomayor for her "distinguished record on the bench" and stated that she was entitled to a fair hearing. Former First Lady Laura Bush stated that Sotomayor was an "interesting pick" and believes that Sotomayor is a