President Obama has chosen Sonia Sotomayor, from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to take the seat of retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court. Brent Walker notes the difficulty in replacing Souter's strong record on religious liberty:
"More than any other justice, Justice Souter has reflected the Baptist Joint Committee's understanding of the proper interpretation of the religion clauses and how they apply to contemporary church-state issues."
Read the entire BJC statement on the choice here. Analysis and links to come. See an earlier post for more on Sotomayor.
[UPDATE: SCOTUSBlog's Tom Goldstein reviews Sotomayor's First Amendment and religion law record, including 1 opinion affirming a Muslim inmate's right to a proper holiday meal, and the employment discrimination case I discussed earlier.
At Religion Clause, Howard Friedman lists her religion cases, both as an appellate and a trial judge.
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations finds Sotomayor's opinions on religious liberty issues "encouraging".
ABP's Rob Marus reports that her "religion record is unlikely to stir controversy."
US News' Dan Gilgoff believes the White House will "promote Sotomayor's religious liberty record".
AU urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to question her closely on church-state matters, given her sparse record in the area.]
