Her nomination was approved by the Senate last week on a largely party-line vote. Many Republicans fiercely opposed Obama's pick, calling Sotomayor a leftist who would not be able to separate her personal feelings from her court decisions.

The opposition mostly focused on a 2001 speech in which Sotomayor said she hoped a 'wise Latina' would often reach a better decision than a white male. Sotomayor argued she was misunderstood and would always maintain 'fidelity to the law'.

Sotomayor, Obama's first appointment to the Supreme Court, does little to alter its ideological balance. She replaced retiring justice David Souter, who was also known as a member of the court's left wing.