President Barack Obama on May 26 named federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as his choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter--making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a High Court justice, and giving some education professionals hope that she will be assertive for education rights.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current Supreme Court and the third in U.S. history. While she was born in New York, her parents immigrated to the states from Puerto Rico.

Obama and Sotomayor both noted the historic nature of the appointment. The president said a Hispanic on the court would mark another step toward the goal of "equal justice under law."

Sotomayor said she grew up in poor surroundings and never dreamed she would one day be nominated for the nation's highest court.

"My heart today is bursting with gratitude," Sotomayor said from the White House podium moments after being introduced by Obama.

Brian W. Jones, senior council for with Dow Lohnes PLLC, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that says it has the nation's largest and most diverse education practice devoted primarily to the postsecondary sector, said Sotomayor's nomination is positive on a few different levels.

"Personally, I think it's a positive step for the country that we would have another female member of the court. From an education standpoint, we have a growingly diverse education system ... so it will be a positive thing to have a Hispanic justice," he said.

He noted that, because it is generally accepted that Sotomayor falls on the liberal side of the spectrum, she has a perspective of civil-rights issues that is probably somewhat more assertive than those of the conservative justices on the Supreme Court.

"It's important for school districts and postsecondary [schools] to have someone who takes a much more firm stance on the rights and responsibilities public institutions have to their students and employees," he said.

Tom Finaly, vice president of administration at the online TUI University, said he believes Sotomayor's moderate liberal rulings and personal background could make her a big proponent of higher education.

"From what I have read, her parents who moved from Puerto Rico instilled in her and her brother the importance of education," Finaly said. "She went on to be incredibly successful in high school, at Princeton undergrad, and later at Yale Law School. I would imagine she will be a supporter of legislation that creates greater access to higher education for minorities, working parents, and economically disadvantaged people. She will also serve as a great inspiration for Latinas to further their education."

Cynthia Zane, president of Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., said that while she didn't know of any education-centered decisions Sotomayor has made, she thinks her understanding of the importance to preserve the access and opportunity for students who would not be able to go to college makes her a perfect candidate.
 
"Her life story, from my perspective, is similar to so many students who come to Hilbert. Her mother and father didn't go to college. She's a first-generation college student. And she went to Princeton and Yale because of educational scholarships," Zane said. "I think someone whose life was transformed by access to higher education and funding and scholarships will be able to understand the journey that many students today are trying to complete."