Washington DC – Sotomayor Would Be First Hispanic on Supreme Court

President Obama this morning will announce that U.S. appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York is his pick to replace retiring justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, White House officials said. (Washington Post)

New York – N.Y. Federal Judge Likely on Shortlist

George M. Pavia remembers being instantly impressed with the young woman he hired for his law firm in 1984. Sonia Sotomayor had graduated summa cum laude at Princeton, edited the Yale Law Journal in law school and had courtroom experience in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office.

She also spoke Spanish, which helped her understand Italian, and one of the firm’s main client’s was carmaker Fiat. (Washington Post)

Washington DC – Look beyond judiciary, senators say

President Barack Obama’s search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter should extend beyond the current roster of federal judges, senators from both political parties said Sunday.

"I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery, somebody who has had some real-life experience, not just as a judge," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings when Obama makes his nomination. (News & Observer)

Washington DC – Wider World of Choices to Fill Souter’s Vacancy

Today, as President Obama moves to pick his first Supreme Court nominee as a successor to retiring Justice David H. Souter — a choice many political observers expect will be a woman — he finds a vastly altered scene, with women holding dozens of seats on the nation’s appellate courts, occupying dean’s offices at prestigious law schools, and serving in some of the highest political offices in the nation. (New York Times)

Washington DC – Breaking: NBC: Souter to retire from Supreme Court

30 Apr 2009 Supreme Court Justice David Souter plans to retire, sources told NBC News Thursday night. Speculation about Souter’s plans began to swirl as the eight other justices were known to have hired the four law clerks who will work with them in the Supreme Court term that begins in October. Souter has been the lone holdout, hiring no one. A retirement by Souter, 69, would give President Barack Obama his first chance to nominate a justice and the next few months would bring Senate confirmation hearings. (Citizens For Legitimate Government)

Washington DC – High Court Poised To Closely Weigh Civil Rights Laws

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm or reshape the nation’s civil rights laws as it faces a rare confluence of cases over the next two weeks, including a high-profile challenge brought by white firefighters who claim they lost out on promotions because of the “color of their skin.”

The cases also touch on the Voting Rights Act, the need to provide English classes for immigrant children and, more tangentially, discriminatory mortgage lending. (Washington Post)

North Carolina – A Supreme Court ruling invalidating the shape of an N.C. legislative district will dilute minority voters’ influence

North Carolina has sent its share of voting rights cases to the U.S. Supreme Court — witness the court’s 1993 decision in Shaw v. Reno, which held that a snake-shaped version of the state’s 12th Congressional District that hugged Interstate 85 looked too odd to pass muster. “Appearances do matter,” the court said in its 5-4 decision striking down that effort to craft a district likely to elect a black representative. (News & Observer)

Note: It seems that the N & O supports the NAACP position on this issue. C. Dancy II – TPA Editor