Senate confirms Sonia Sotomayor

In a historic move, Sonia Sotomayor is set to become the first Latina judge on the U.S. Supreme Court after winning Senate confirmation this afternoon.

The 68-31 vote was marred by legislators voting along party lines with all Democrats backing her along with only nine of forty Republicans. It was expected that she would be approved by the Senate, though such a partisan divide is a rarity in Supreme Court confirmation votes. This week’s debate on the Senate floor set the stage for today’s divisive vote with most GOP legislators portraying her as "a liberal judicial activist" and even as a racist. Democrats insisted that she was "a mainstream and qualified judge" worthy of being on the Supreme Court.

Much was also made in recent days over the perceived slight that Republican votes against her symbolized opposition to the Latino community though the counterargument was made that Latinos care more about other issues. In the end, it’s up to Sotomayor to prove her judicial mettle on the high court which could come very soon. (According to MSNBC she will be sworn in as early as Saturday).

Online Sources- CBC, Politico, New York Times, Reuters, MSNBC