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1st Hispanic Justice of US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor has become the first Hispanic confirmed as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.The Senate approved her nomination Thursday in a vote of 68 to 31. Several Republicans joined majority Democrats in supporting Sotomayor. Shortly after the nomination was approved, President Barack Obama said he was "deeply gratified" by the outcome of the vote. He said the three principles of justice, equality, and opportunity are ones that made possible Sotomayor's journey to the Supreme Court.During debate on Sotomayor's nomination this week, many Republicans charged that the 55-year-old Sotomayor would rule according to her personal biases. But Democrats described her as an experienced, mainstream moderate judge.Sotomayor will be the third woman to sit on the nation's highest court. President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, to replace retired Justice David Souter.The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-to-6 last week, largely along party lines, to send Sotomayor's nomination to the full Senate.

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