Local Expert Weighs In on Supreme Court Pick

by KYW's Kim Glovas
 
President Obama has chosen federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to succeed Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.

Phoebe Haddon, a Constitutional Law professor at Temple Law School, and soon-to-be Dean at the University of Maryland Law School says President Obama had a much wider field of women to choose from this time than at any other time in history:

"There's been significant change. There are presently 212 federal judges who are women, that's about a quarter of the federal judiciary and that's extraordinary, as compared to 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and 30 years ago."

She says the president takes seriously the job of providing a panel with diverse experience and background to make sure that justice is served at the nation's highest court.

Haddon says President Obama has more opportunities to shape the Supreme Court.