The Volokh Conspiracy - Not a First:

A reader asks:

With all the talk of her being the first Hispanic Justice, I find this question more interesting:

Would Judge Sotomayor be the first judge to climb the ladder from federal district judge to federal circuit judge to US Supreme Court Justice?

Nope. Charles E. Whittaker did it first: He was on the district bench from 1954 to 1956, the 8th Circuit from 1956 to 1957, and then was on the Supreme Court from 1957 to 1962.

	[Orin Kerr, May 26, 2009 at 2:02pm] Trackbacks Not a First: A reader asks: With all the talk of her being the first Hispanic Justice, I find this question more interesting: Would Judge Sotomayor be the first judge to climb the ladder from federal district judge to federal circuit judge to US Supreme Court Justice? Nope. Charles E. Whittaker did it first: He was on the district bench from 1954 to 1956, the 8th Circuit from 1956 to 1957, and then was on the Supreme Court from 1957 to 1962.