Historic Appointment Will Not Change the Direction of the Court on Affirmative Action or Other Issues of Importance to African Americans

This past week Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 111th justice of the Supreme Court. All Democratic senators and nine Republicans voted to confirm Sotomayor.

Sotomayor was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts this past weekend. She is the third woman and first Hispanic justice in Court history.

It is important to note that the Sotomayor appointment will not change the direction of the Court in cases dealing with voting rights, affirmative action, school segregation, or civil rights. The justice she is replacing, David Souter, almost always came down on the side of protecting the concerns and opportunities of blacks and other minorities.

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