 Sonia Sotomayor — nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26 , 2009 , and sworn in on August 8 — is the first Supreme Court Justice of Latin American descent . Born in New York City of Puerto Rican parents , she has been known to refer to herself as a " Nuyorican " . Sotomayor is also generally regarded as the first Hispanic justice , although some sources claim that this distinction belongs to former Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo . 
