Judge Sonia Sotomayor won Senate confirmation today as the Supreme Court's first Hispanic justice and the first one known to have diabetes. The vote was 68 to 31. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., is expected to swear Sotomayor in Saturday at the Supreme Court.

The vote followed a three-day Senate debate. Nine Republicans joined the Senate's Democratic majority in backing Sotomayor, who was nominated in May by President Barack Obama. She will be on the bench when the Supreme Court begins a new term in October.

American Diabetes Association Board Chair George J. Huntley said that the confirmation of Sotomayor, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 8, was a victory for people with diabetes.

"Judge Sotomayor is an outstanding role model for people living with type 1 diabetes," Huntley said. "Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admire her ability to overcome the many challenges that come with type 1 diabetes and rise to the top of her profession. I am hopeful that she will inspire many young people with diabetes to take care of themselves and never lose sight of their dreams."

Sotomayor, who replaces Justice David Souter, brings more federal judicial experience to the nation's highest court than any justice in a century, according to the White House press office. She became a federal judge in 1992, when President George H. W. Bush appointed her to a District Court in New York. Six years later, President Bill Clinton selected Sotomayor as the first Latina to serve on a federal appeals court.

Her legal career began after graduation from Princeton University and Yale Law School. Sotomayor grew up in New York City, where she was born to Puerto Rican parents living in a Bronx housing project.