Confirmation hearings begin for Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic woman to be nominated for the Supreme Court.

President Barack Obama ’s pick to fill his first high court vacancy will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT/1400 GMT, with hearings expected to last most of the week.

After returning from a weeklong overseas trip, Obama called Sotomayor to wish her luck as she headed to Capitol Hill to face her questioners.

 Sotomayor is expected to win confirmation but will likely face some tough questioning from Republicans who want to spotlight what they fear will be Sotomayor’s “activist” approach to the law.

After a traveling to Russia, Italy and Ghana, Obama settles back into his presidential routine with a day of briefings at the White House.  His only scheduled foray from the White House is when he goes next door to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to speak at an Urban and Metropolitan Policy Roundtable  in the afternoon.

But he will likely be keeping a close eye on what happens on Capitol Hill with the Sotomayor hearings in the Senate. On the House side, committees are expected to formally introduce their healthcare reform bill — addressing Obama’s top legislative agenda. Senate committees are meeting to discuss details of their versions of the bills.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jim Young (Sotomayor and Obama at the White House)