In a historic and divided 68-31 vote, the Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first Hispanic and third woman on the nation’s highest court.
The 55-year-old Sotomayor will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. on Saturday at the Supreme Court, followed by a larger investiture event at the Court on Sept. 8. Administering the oath at the Court itself bucks the recent trend of justices being sworn in at the White House. In changing the custom, President Barack Obama is heeding concerns expressed by some justices — most recently John Paul Stevens — that a White House ceremony sends the inappropriate message that justices are beholden to their appointing president.
