Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide

On May 26, 2009 President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice Souter on the United States Supreme Court. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings from July 13 to July 16. On August 6, the Senate confirmed Judge Sotomayor. She was sworn in on August 8th.

• Wikipedia entry
• Almanac of the Federal Judiciary (Search "Sotomayor")
• Profile from the New York Times
• Background from the White House
• Press Release from Princeton University (Under Material for News Media, photographs and documents from Judge Sotomayor's days as a student may be found.)
• What They are Saying About Judge Sotomayer (White House Press)

• Witness lists (Wall Street Journal)
• Webcasts of nomination hearings (Senate Judiciary Committee) (search Sotomayor in Hearings field)
• Hearing Record( Senate Judiciary Committee)
• Confirmation hearing, questionnaire and responses, and documents submitted for the record (GPO Access).
• C-SPAN video of confirmation hearings, swearing in ceremony, and more.
• Hearing Transcripts (The Washington Post)
• Full transcripts of the hearing are available  in the CQ Transcriptions database on Lexis. (Search for Sotomayer)
• President Obama's statement on the confirmation of Justice Sotomayor
• Congressional Record
  • Congressional Record for August 3rd (remarks by Senators about nomination)
  • Congressional Record for August 4th (remarks by Senators about nomination)
  • Congressional Record for August 5th (remarks by Senators about nomination)
  • Congressional Record for August 6th (remarks by Senators and vote)
• Senate Roll Call Vote

• Nomination to the Second Circuit
  • Congressional Hearing: Nominee to be a Judge, U.S. Circuit Court, Second Circuit (1997) (Testimony relating to Judge Sotomayor begins near page 353)
  • Materials related to the nomination released by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum
• Nomination to the Southern District of New York
  • Nominee to be Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1992) (Testimony relating to Judge Sotomayor begins near page 201; the committee questionnaire detailing her work history begins on page 281).
  • Materials related to the nomination released by the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

• Sonia Sotomayor, Foreword, in The International Judge: An Introduction to the Men and Women Who Decide the World's Cases (Daniel Terris, Cesare P.R. Romano, and Leigh Swigart eds. 2007)
• Sonia Sotomayor, Another Historical Moment, Fed. Law., Feb. 2006, at 29
• Sonia Sotomayor, Tribute to John Sexton, 60 N.Y.U. Ann. Surv. Am. L. 23 (2004)
• Sonia Sotomayor, Raising the Bar: Latino and Latina Presence in the Judiciary and the Struggle for Representation, 13 La Raza L.J. 87 (2002) (Judge Mario G. Olmos Memorial Lecture)
• Sonia Sotomayor, et. al., La Independencia Judicial: Que Necessitamos Para Conservarla, 60 Revista del. Colegio de P.R. 59 (1999), Call Number: Journals 1st Floor K19 .D7 v. 60 1999
• Sharon E. Grubin, et al., Report of the Second Circuit Task Force on Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, reprinted in 1997 Annual Survey of American Law 9
• Sonia Sotomayor & Nicole A. Gordon, Returning Majesty to the Law and Politics: A Modern Approach, 30 Suffolk U. L. Rev. 35 (1996)
• Student Note, Statehood and the Equal Footing Doctrine: The Case for Puerto Rican Seabed Rights, 88 Yale L.J. 825 (1979)

Selected opinions from Judge Sotomayor, as compiled by the New York Times

Materials related to Ricci v. DeStefano (New Haven firefighters case)

• U.S. Supreme Court opinion for Ricci v. DeStefano
• Supreme Court Records & Briefs for Ricci v. DeStefano
• Sotomayor Tape Reveals Views on Ricci v. DeStefano Discrimination Case, May 29, 2009 Wall Street Journal blog with MP3 files of hearing

Analyses of Judge Sotomayor's opinions:

• Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Analysis of Selected Opinions (Congressional Research Services) (June 19, 2009)
• Judge Sotomayor's Appellate Opinions in Civil Cases (SCOTUSBlog)
• Judge Sotomayor's Civil Opinions - Part II (SCOTUSBlog)
• Judge Sotomayor's Civil Opinions - Part III (SCOTUSBlog)
• Judge Sotomayor's Civil Opinions - Part IV (SCOTUSBlog)

• Law Library of Congress Guide on Judge Sotomayer
• Compilation of News and Commentary from National Law Journal
• American Bar Association Nominee Ratings
• Hearings & Reports by Senate Judiciary Committee on Sonia Sotomayor pt. 1 (Liebert ed., Hein & Co. 2010)
• Hearings & Reports by Senate Judiciary Committee on Sonia Sotomayor pt. 2 (Liebert ed., Hein & Co. 2010)
• Hearings & Reports by Senate Judiciary Committee on Sonia Sotomayor pt. 3 (Liebert ed., Hein & Co. 2010)