President Barack Obama has introduced New York Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to succeed Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the nation's first Hispanic justice, and one of only two women currently serving on the bench (and, depending on how long Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg intends to serve, Sotomayor could soon be the only woman on the Court). But her nomination also raises a number of important issues, about court balance, whether the GOP may try to filibuster and block her nomination, and whether battle lines may be drawn on specific issues during the confirmation process. Perhaps most significant, she would be the only trial judge on the High Court.

How might her experience as a trial judge impact the Court? President Obama indicated he was looking for a jurist who had "a common touch and a sense of compassion." Is he suggesting the current Supreme Court is out of touch with the impact their decisions have on Americans? We'll examine how Sotomayor, if confirmed, might affect the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and its decision-making in the coming years.

Guest:
Bob Power, Professor of Law, Widener University

Second half of the program: Matters of the Mind -- Autism

Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism.  Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.  It is a disorder that doctors have begun to understand better, provide new treatments to patients and further assistance to families.

Guests:
Robert Baker, VP Keystone Human Services, CEO of Keystone Autism Services
Edward Toyer, Director of Clinical and Psychological Services, Keystone

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

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