The US's highest legal authority will have its first Hispanic voice following the confirmation of judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court today.

The Senate voted 68 to 31 in favour of President Barack Obama's first nominee to the court, making her the country's 111th justice and only the third women to hold a post on the panel.

Ms Sotomayor's appointment has not been without controversy. Some have accused the Bronx-born judge of personal bias, pointing towards a 2001 statement in which she implied that a female Latino judge would make better decisions than a white man.

Despite opposition from some conservatives, Ms Sotomayor will now be sworn in on Saturday.

Supporters of the 55-year-old judge said the confirmation marked a historic occasion.

Mr Obama said it was a "wonderful day", not just for Ms Sotomayor but for the whole of America.

"With this historic vote, the Senate has affirmed that Judge Sotomayor has the intellect, the temperament, the history, the integrity and the independence of mind to ably serve on our nation's highest court," the president said.

He added that he was "pleased and deeply gratified" over her confirmation.

The size of the Democrat's majority in the Senate was boosted with nine Republicans who broke ranks to back the confirmation.

Nonetheless most Republicans voted against her.

Opponents have suggested that Ms Sotomayor is too liberal and would bring personal bias to the role of Supreme Court justice.

They point towards a 2001 speech in which she claimed: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh went as far as branding the comments "racist".

Mainstream Republicans held short of making that claim. But minority leader Senator Mitch McConnell said her writings and speeches "reflect a belief not just that impartiality is not possible, but that it is not even worth the effort".

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