"Even though environmental issues have not been a major cog in Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's legal career, environmentalists have joined the chorus of left-leaning advocacy groups that have thrown their support behind President Obama's pick for the high court.

'Judge Sotomayor is well-qualified in light of her personal, academic, legal and judicial experience,' said Glenn Sugameli, senior legislative counsel and head of Earthjustice's judicial nominations project. 'Her knowledge, understanding and service as a federal trial and appellate court judge provide invaluable perspectives for deciding environmental protection and related issues.'

Environmentalists primarily are pointing to a single 2007 decision by Sotomayor -- on U.S. EPA's use of cost-benefit analysis in the regulation of pollutants -- as a signal that the potential future justice may side with them on a number of issues."

Alex Kaplun reports for Greenwire in the New York Times May 27, 2009. [2]