Nominee Had Inside Track

From Reid Wilson at The Hill:
The White House first contacted Judge Sonia Sotomayor three days before news of a Supreme Court vacancy became public, according to a questionnaire President Obama's first high court nominee submitted Thursday afternoon.
In the 173-page questionnaire delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sotomayor revealed she was first contacted by White House counsel Greg Craig on April 27, three days before Associate Justice David Souter's resignation leaked to the media and four days before he made a formal announcement.
Sotomayor was first interviewed by a White House surrogate on May 14, then spoke with top White House officials by phone two days later. She interviewed three more times, including what the White House has described as an hour-long sit-down with Obama in the Oval Office on May 21. Three days later, she spoke with Vice President Biden.
Sotomayor was officially nominated by Obama on May 26.
Sotomayor said she has neither been asked about specific cases that may reach the court nor has she made any representations as to how she might rule as an associate justice if she is confirmed.