Opinion: Obama picks Sotomayer for Supreme Court, sources say

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The official announcement is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Eastern time.

But President Obama has selected federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor as his first Supreme Court pick -- the first Latino to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Born to Puerto Rican parents in the Bronx, within shouting distance of Yankee Stadium, Sotomayor, 54, is a liberal-enough judge to inspire plenty of long knives from Republicans.

But Sotomayor also is likely to inspire plenty of cheers from Latinos -- a core political group to both parties -- and from every American who loves a good rags-to-riches story.

Her father, a tool-and-die worker with a third-grade education, died when she was 9 years old. Her mother, a nurse, raised Sotomayor and her younger brother, who is now a doctor, on a modest salary. In 1976, Sotomayor married while still a student at Princeton University and divorced in 1983.

Watch this space for more details.

-- Johanna Neuman

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