Sotomayor

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit

Age: 54

Details: One of the nation's most prominent Hispanic judges, she is touted by supporters as fairly moderate but seen by critics as more liberal than any current justice. Born to a Puerto Rican family and raised in the Bronx, she won highest honors at Princeton and distinction at Yale Law School. She was an assistant district attorney and commercial litigator before becoming a federal district judge and, in 1998, an appellate court judge. Her recent decisions include a controversial ruling in the Ricci v. DeStefano discrimination case, which the Supreme Court is expected to rule on in June.

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