Sonia Sotomayor Sotomayor's ruling. On June 25, 1997, Sotomayor was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which was vacated by J. Daniel Mahoney. Her nomination was initially expected to have smooth sailing, with the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary giving her a "well qualified" professional assessment. However, as "The New York Times" described, "[it became] embroiled in the sometimes tortured judicial politics of the Senate." Some in the Republican majority believed Clinton was eager to name the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice and that an easy
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination would like to see Sotomayor confirmed by the beginning of the Senate recess on August 7, 2009. On June 9, 2009, Patrick Leahy announced that Judiciary Committee hearings on Sotomayor's nomination would begin on Monday, July 13, 2009. The Senate Judiciary Committee convened for the first day of Confirmation hearings on July 13, where Senator Charles Schumer proclaimed that the opportunity that Sotomayor has could not have happened "anywhere else in the world", saying that America is "God's noble experiement". Out the many notable speakers, the Committee also welcomed newly sworn in Senator Al Franken (D-MN), who marked his first