Sotomayor, 54, would be the first Hispanic and third woman in history to serve on the nation's highest court. There is currently only one woman on the nine-member high court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Sotomayor is based in New York City. President Clinton appointed her to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals back in 1998. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.
Two senior administration officials confirmed the appointment to USA TODAY, requesting anonymity pending a formal announcement by the president later this morning.
Obama will introduce Sotomayor at 10:15 a.m. in the East Room.
The nomination of Sotormayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter is already drawing fire from conservative groups.
Wendy E. Long, counsel to the Judicial Conformation Network, criticized her support for "quotas" and "racial preferences." She called Sotomayor "a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written."
Democrats, however, enjoy a strong majority in the Senate, and Sotomayor looks like a good bet for confirmation.
Before becoming an appeals judge, Sotomayor served six years on the federal district bench in New York. She was appointed to that position in 1992 by Republican President George H.W. Bush.
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