Skip to content

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Tripped Up

Much has been written about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s gritty New York upbringing, but it turns out that she had even an rougher road to her spot on the Supreme Court than anybody realized.[IMGCAP(1)]In an interview with C-SPAN for the channel’s upcoming documentary on the Supreme Court, Sotomayor outlines her first trip to Washington as President Barack Obama’s nominee, the Washington Post reports. It turns out that Sotomayor had a pretty tough time just getting to the White House to be introduced. First, she had to get the final A-OK from Obama that she indeed was his pick for the Supreme Court. In the interview, Sotomayor recalls that she hung around her office all day (Memorial Day, no less) waiting for the official call from the president. And waited. And waited.Finally, with family members calling her and asking whether they should board planes to D.C. for the announcement, Sotomayor called the White House. “And they stopped and said, ‘Oh I guess we should figure that out, shouldn’t we?’ Literally, that was the response,— Sotomayor recalls. At about 8:10 p.m., Obama called and offered her the nomination, and Sotomayor and a friend drove to D.C. (The White House had asked her not to fly.) But the delays continued: The trip took six hours because of a torrential rainstorm, the GPS system went out and suddenly Sotomayor realized they were in Virginia, driving away from the city.It was 2:30 a.m. by the time the duo found their way to Sotomayor’s hotel. She slept three hours before heading over to the White House to be introduced as the nominee.Spotted. Senate daughter-turned-celebrity-in-her-own-right Meghan McCain was spotted heading out of the Russell Senate Office Building on Thursday afternoon. McCain, in town to give a speech at American University, spent the day hanging out with her dad, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The prolific Twitterer posted plenty of updates about her day, from “Quality time with Dad. While he’s voting I’m hanging out with press ladies extraordinare Leah and Brooke :-)— to “Yes, I don’t think my father could be more supportive, I am very lucky. Love you Dad!—All together now: Awwwww.Submit your hot tips, juicy gossip or comments here.Can’t get enough HOH? Get a midday dose of fun and gossip with HOH’s One-Minute Recess, delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here — because everyone deserves more recess.

Recent Stories

House bill gives up to a year to sell TikTok; eyes Russian assets

We all became Bob Graham

On Senate floor, Mayorkas impeachment sparks procedural clash

Senate dispenses with Mayorkas impeachment without a trial

Steve Garvey: Not the next Jim Bunning

Capitol Lens | Former Sen. Bob Graham, 1936–2024