Tags : Sotomayor
Supreme Court Holds Investiture Ceremony For Sotomayor Tuesday
Washington, D.C. (AHN) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday holds a special sitting for the formal investiture of Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and third woman Supreme Court Justice. President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden will attend.
The nine Justices of the high court gather at 2:00 pm a day before they begin their new term. Sotomayor will not issue remarks after the short ceremony, but she will stand on the front plaza of the Supreme Court building along with members of her family and with Chief Justice John Roberts for photographs. She and Roberts then walk will down the front steps of the building and stand briefly at the base of the steps on the plaza.
The court reconvenes on Wednesday, and begins its new term on Oct. 5, with Sotomayor in place of retired Justice David Souter.
The 55-year-old was sworn in on Aug. 8 as the 111th justice of the high court in two ceremonies led by Roberts.
The Obama administration’s first Supreme Court nominee, Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 68-31. With only GOP 40 votes in the 100-member Senate and no Democrats announcing their opposition, confirmation was expected.
Nine Republicans broke with party line and joined Democrats: Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Kit Bond (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and George Voinovich (R-OH).
Of these, Alexander is the only member of the GOP leadership, being chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. Three are retiring: Gregg, Martinez and Voinovich.
Graham is the only Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who supported the former appeals court judge when the panel voted 13-6 to endorse her nomination to the full Senate.
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