Sonia Sotomayor

May 27, 2009

Born: June 25, 1954; New York, N.Y.

Education: Bachelor's degree, Princeton University, 1976; law degree, Yale Law School, 1979.

Experience: assistant district attorney, New York County, 1979-84; private practice, New York City, 1984-92; judge, US District Court, Southern District of New York, 1992-98; judge, US Court of Appeals for Second Circuit, 1998-present.

Family: Divorced; no children.

Quote: "I chose to be a lawyer, and ultimately a judge, because I find endless challenge in the complexities of the law. I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights."

SOURCE: Associated Press

Racial preferences: In 2008, Sotomayor joined a three-judge panel that sided with the city of New Haven after the city was sued by a group of white firefighters. The plaintiffs claimed they had been unfairly denied promotions despite top scores on an exam. The US Supreme Court heard the firefighters appeal and is expected to deliver its ruling next month.

Environment: In 2007, Sotomayor ruled against a power plant, favoring a strict interpretation of Clean Water Act. The ruling was overturned by the US Supreme Court in an opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia - one of six Sotomayor decisions that have been overruled.

Second Amendment: In 2009, she joined a three-judge panel in ruling that the Second Amendment did not protect the right to own nunchucks, a martial arts weapon. The plaintiff is seeking an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Foreign rulings: In a dissenting opinion to a 2000 case revolving around a child welfare treaty, Sotomayor argued that US courts should take into account judicial decisions in foreign countries that were also party to the same treaty. Many conservatives have opposed any use of foreign rulings in US court decisions.

Labor rights: In her best-known ruling outside legal circles, Sotomayor ended the Major League Baseball strike when she sided with players against owners in March 1995. The ruling preserved free agency and ended a 232-day work stoppage that had cancelled the 1994 World Series.

GLOBE CORRESPONDENT ALAN WIRZBICKI