President Barack Obama just announced his pick for David Souter’s seat on the US Supreme Court:  Sonia Sotomayor.  Ms. Sotomayor would not only add another female voice to the Court, but she  would also be the first Hispanic to serve on the highest court of the land.

Originally appointed by President HW Bush, Ms.Sotomayor enjoys wide support on both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle and was praised today by the President as someone with “a common touch and a sense of compasion.” A graduate of Princeton University and Yale University Law school, she grew up in the housing projects of the Bronx, New York, and is a second-generation woman of Puerto Rican heritage.  

So who is Ms.Sotomayor?  Her astrological chart (born 6/25/1954, time unknown, Bronx NY) shows that she was born under the sign of Cancer which bestows a fierce love for family and a sense of pride for one’s ancestral roots.  Her Sun is in an extremely beneficial conjunction to Jupiter, the planet of expansion, optimism and abundance which is usually a signal of confidence and the success that results from a positive attitude.  Jupiter is also the planet that rules the law through an interest in shared thoughts and ideas, and clearly Ms. Sotomayor is well suited for the field of law.  

This Sun/Jupiter conjunction is opposed by the planet Mars,a planetary combination which bestows a forceful personality that can be somewhat combative.  Ms. Sotomayor is obviously a hard worker with Mars (drive) in the responsible and success-oriented sign of Capricorn.  Her Mars forms a harmonious sextile to Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, which enhances her love of discipline and her ability to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  

Although Ms.Sotomayor’s Mercury (thoughts and the mental process) is in Cancer, which tends to signify an emotional thinker, her chart also contains a tight conjunction of Mercury to Uranus (innovation and change).  This shows that she is not afraid to embrace new ideas and explore new ways to solve old problems although the nurturing quality of the sign of Cancer will filter through every one of her decisions.  Mercury in her chart is retrograde, meaning it appeared to be moving backwards at the time that she was born.  In a natal chart that can signify someone who is less adept in the world of communication, and there is some criticism about Ms.Sotomayor’s ability to be able to clearly articulate legal details.

With four planets plus the South Node of the moon falling in the sign of Cancer, this is the strongest dynamic in her chart. Cancer people are sensitive and can be shy, but they will also fiercely protect their own – this includes not only their own people, but also their own ideas.  Anyone who underestimates the strength of the Cancer individual does so at their peril, because the tenacity of their claws can be astounding. 

Ms. Sotomayor is going through a powerful transit of Pluto right now that is setting off the Mars/Sun opposition in her chart.  Transits of Pluto usually take us through cycles of tremendous change and transformation, and in this Pluto cycle began affecting her back in February of this year.  At the time that the announcement occurred Pluto was nearly exactly conjunct Mars in her chart.

From a broader viewpoint, the appointment of an Hispanic female to the Supreme Court marks a turning point for the identity of the nation as a whole.  Pluto (transformation) in Ms.Sotomayor’s chart exactly conjuncts Chiron (wounding and healing) in the US chart, signifying that she will be an instrument for healing the adjustment problems that have resulted from a changing population and resulting identity crisis in the United States.