Another First For The Supreme Court

President Barack Obama did the expected thing in nominating a woman who also happens to be a minority as a Supreme Court justice, replacing the retiring David Souter.

The President introduced Sonia Sotomayor at a White House ceremony Tuesday morning, hailing her as an "inspiring woman who I believe will make a great justice". He also touted her vast experience as a jurist for three decades, more than anyone currently on the Court.

If she is confirmed by the Senate, she would become not only the third woman on the Court, but the first Hispanic justice as well.

Sotomayor, who is of Puerto Rican descent, came from the housing projects of the South Bronx in New York. After graduating from Princeton and Yale's law school, she moved up the ranks from attorney to judicial stints in the federal court system, promoted by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Compared to the other justices, Sotomayor is not exactly wealthy. According to CNN.com, a 2007 financial disclosure form lists her bank account assets between $50,000 and $115,000.

It's a nice story, but it won't matter once Sotomayor enters the Supreme Court chambers, where you might as well be cut off from the rest of the world.

The President's choice of Sotomayor is not what you'd call earth-shattering, since she's a moderate/liberal judge replacing another moderate/liberal on a conservative-leaning Court. So what do Republicans have to complain about besides ringing the alarm bells over her past decisions? They'll have plenty of chances to grill her on that during the confirmation hearings.

Sotomayor's chances of getting confirmed in a Democratic-controlled Senate look pretty good, unless she gives them a reason not to. In the Obama administration thus far, that's not always a sure thing.