Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in May 2009 and confirmed by the Senate in August 2009. She is the first Hispanic and Latina Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Sotomayor has served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is known for her passionate defense of individual rights and her commitment to equal justice under the law.