Sonia Sotomayor has just become our first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court. Senator Al Franken called for a voice vote, and, as predicted, Sotomayor was easily confirmed by the Senate.

The number of Republicans expected to vote for her was nine as of yesterday (and those expectations were correct), but it was always 40 de facto votes for her, as the GOP never threatened to filibuster, making the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice one of the few matters the Senate is willing to settle with a straight majority voice vote (after she got out of the Judiciary committee, obviously.) No one is sure where Sotomayor actually is right now, but she's expected to be sworn in tomorrow morning.

John McCain, asshole, voted against her. Robert Byrd, who is very old and very ill, showed up to vote for Sotomayor. Ted Kennedy did not.

Barack Obama is expected to speak momentarily.

It was an anticlimactic end to the confirmation "battle." As the right-wing talk radio nightmare of Senator Al Franken presiding over the confirmation of a fiery anti-white racist Latina Supreme Court justice unfolded without incident, the loud and constant threats and lies of the right-wing message machine suddenly seemed a bit ineffective. The NRA waded into a judicial nominee for the first time ever, but it made no difference. Pat Buchanan took up the banner for aggrieved white male victims of discrimination, misinformation was relentlessly spread, and white firefighters were trotted out to call her names, but here we are. Maybe we will get health care?

[Photo: AP]