Justice Sonia Sotomayor officially joined the U.S. Supreme Court in a special ceremony Tuesday attended by President Obama; Vice President Joe Biden; her mother, Celina, and brother, Juan; entertainer Ricky Martin, retired Justice David Souter, the man she replaced; members of Congress; federal judges and former top Justice Department officials. The nation’s first Hispanic and third woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court took the oath of office again during Tuesday’s event. Actually, the rest of the court does not return for real work until today, when the justices hear arguments in a case involving campaign finance law. Attorney General Eric Holder presented Sotomayor’s ivory-colored commission from Obama. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office, after which Sotomayor took her seat at the end of the bench to Roberts’ left, next to Justice Stephen Breyer. All her colleagues were in attendance.

Georgia Man Hopes High Court Will Spare His Life Troy

Anthony Davis, the Black Georgia death-row inmate whose life was spared in October, just three days before he was to be executed, is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will provide him with yet another chance to prove that he’s no killer. Accused of shooting to death a 27-year-old off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer 20 years ago, Davis’ attorneys are asking that the case be remanded to a federal judge for a hearing on his claims of innocence. Read more.

Race of Supreme Court Justice Doesn’t Matter to Most

It appears that most Americans aren’t as concerned about the race and gender of the next Supreme Court as they are about level of experience. A new CNN/Opinion Research Group poll shows that while the focus in the media has centered on whether President Obama will nominate a woman or a Hispanic or an African American to fill the slot left by retiring Justice David Souter, most Americans say that such issues are “not important at all.” Read the rest.

Although President Obama is still tight-lipped about whom he will choose to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, the public is getting a little glimpse of his thinking. The Associated Press is reporting that among those being considered for the nation’s highest court are at least five women and two Hispanics. Who are they? Read more

Obama Getting Pushed to Name the ‘Right’ Justice

In the latest push to get President Obama to appoint the “right” person to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a high-powered duo of law-making women say the logical choice is, well, a woman. In a letter to the president on Monday, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said that women comprise more that half the U.S. population but have only one measly seat of the nine on the high court. Read more.