Those who grew up reading Perry mason will be glad to know that another fan of the imaginary defence attorney created by Earl Stanley Gardner is going to make it to the US Supreme Court bench.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the nominee of the US President Obama is all set to join the Supreme Court soon. The Senate's nod is a mere formality. The entire country watched the confirmation proceedings on the television channels with baited breath.

Although the process of appointing justices to the Supreme Court has undergone changes over the years, the basic sharing of power between the Senate and the President continues. While the President nominates the candidate the Senate confirms the appointment. Currently, the nine-member Supreme Court bench includes just one woman (Ruth Bader Ginsburg) and one black (Clarence Thomas.)

Judge Sotomayor will be the first Latino to reach highest court. Her nomination has created nationwide interest because President Barack Obama hopes to make history with his first appointment to the Supreme Court. Politically Hispanics in the US are growing in number and account for 15 per cent of the population. They are the largest minority group, with blacks coming second. Hispanics dominate in 20 states. Mr. Ramona Romero, president of the National Bar Association commenting on Judge Sotomayor's nomination observed recently, 'By the year 2050 ….the Hispanics will represent about 30 percent of the U.S. population, and that is the context for why the decisions of a court that impacts the lives of all Americans should be informed by the Hispanic experience.'

Secondly, Sotomayor's nomination is also significant because she is a woman, as women account for fifty per cent of the population. She would be the third woman appointed to the court, following Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981 (who retired in 2006) and Ruth Bader Ginsberg in 1993, who is still a serving Judge.

Thirdly, Sonia's appointment will leave Obama's stamp on the judiciary for a long time to come because she is only 55. While the Democrats in the senate Judiciary committee praised Sotomayor, Republicans expressed doubts about her ability to be impartial. The confirmation hearings provided opportunity and risk for both parties. While Democrats and the White House looked for a smooth confirmation process at a time when Obama is focused on a new health care system, the Republicans wanted to consolidate their conservative base. However, the outcome was pleasing to the democrats as the republicans have already indicated that they would not block Sotomayor's confirmation.

Why did Obama, choose judge Sotomayor? Of the four women shortlisted for the job two were from his Administration (Solicitor General Elena Kagan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano) and the third was Chicago Appeals Court Judge Diane P. Wood. Sotomayor won the race after her hour-long meeting with the President at the White House before the selection. In Sotomayor, Obama discovered a nominee who will satisfy two powerful constituencies in his own party — women and Hispanics. Obama was elected president with a strong Hispanic support. Judge Sotomayor has frequently spoken about her Latino identity. Statements like “I would hope that a wise Latino woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life,' had landed her into controversy. Her appointment as a Supreme Court justice is seen as a reward for the Hispanics who were pressing for representation.

Obama may have also seen some similarities with Judge Sotomayor. If Obama is half black, Judge Sotomayor is Hispanic. Both were raised by a single mother, overcame their limitations of humble beginnings, and did well in law school, embarked on public service and both reached the top of their chosen profession.

Who is judge Sotomayor? Her parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York during the World War 2. She grew up in the South Bronx, a poor area of New York City. She lost her father when she was nine. Her mother brought her up by taking up two jobs.

The White house was impressed with judge Sotomayor's three-decade career covering almost every aspect of the law. After graduating from Princeton and Yale, she became a New York City prosecutor and a corporate litigator. Bush senior appointed her to the District court for the Southern district of New York. President Clinton promoted her to the Second circuit court. Her qualifications are impeccable as a prosecutor, private litigator, trial judge, and appellate judge. No one in the Supreme Court at present has this complete package of experience.

To her credit, after withstanding 583 questions in 15 hours over three days, Judge Sotomayor came through successful in her confirmation proceedings. She is all set to get the nod from the full Senate soon and sit on the bench on October 6 when the Supreme Court begins its new session. Obama has taken a political decision in choosing her for his second term and it is bound to pay him dividends later. (IPA Service)