Obama selects Sotomayor as Supreme Court nominee

Supreme Court nominee judge Sonia Sotomayor thanks President Obama for her nomination. The longtime federal jurist could become the first Latino and only the third woman on the nation’s highest court.  (Shawn Thew / EPA)

President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor, 54, became a judge on the federal district court for the Southern District of New York in 1991 and was elevated to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1998.  (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

President Barack Obama announces federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for the Supreme Court in the East Room of the White House in Washington.  (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor will be the nation’s first Latino Supreme Court justice and will replace Justice David Souter.  (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

A full East Room is attentive as Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination is announced.  (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Vice President Biden and President Obama escort Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor out of the East Room after the announcement.  (Matthew Cavanaugh / EPA)