![supreme court sonia sotomayor supreme court sonia sotomayor](https://i1.wp.com/sanantonioreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ScottBall_UTSA_Associate_Justice_Supreme_Court_Sonia_Sotomayor_SCOTUS_Eighmy_1-25-2018-4.jpg)
Bush also lauded Sotomayor for her "distinguished record on the bench" and stated that she was entitled to a fair hearing. Bush defended Sotomayor and blasted former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh for accusing her of being racist, calling it "not fair" and "not right". Among the few Republicans who publicly supported the nomination was Olympia Snowe, who said of the nomination, "I commend President Obama for nominating a well-qualified woman, as I urged him to do during a one-on-one meeting on a variety of issues in the Oval Office earlier this month". Since that time, she has made statements on the role of the appeals court I think is improper and incorrect.". I did not feel she was appropriate on the appeals court. Pat Roberts was the first Republican senator to officially come out against the nomination: "With all due respect to the nominee and nothing personal, I do not plan to vote for her. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Patrick Leahy said he expected Sotomayor to be in the "mold of Justice Souter, who understands the real-world impact of the Court's decisions, rather than the mold of conservative activists who second-guess Congress." Fellow Democrat Russ Feingold said that "from all accounts, she is a highly qualified and very experienced judge." In his prepared remarks, the president called Sotomayor "an inspiring woman," noting that she "has worked at almost every level of our judicial system, providing her with a depth of experience and a breadth of perspective that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice." The nomination was formally received by the Senate on June 1, and was subsequently referred to the Judiciary Committee. On May 26, 2009, President Obama announced that he would nominate Sotomayor to the court. Others topping the various lists of most-likely candidates included: Elena Kagan, Diane Wood and Jennifer Granholm. After Souter's retirement plans were announced, Sonia Sotomayor received early attention as the front-runner to succeed him. The president and his advisors had begun preparing for this eventuality since before he was sworn in as president, during the transition. This was the first opportunity for President Barack Obama, who took office in January 2009, to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. He had served as an associate justice for 19 years. On May 1, 2009, David Souter announced that he would retire from the Supreme Court on June 29, at the start of Court's summer 2009 recess.