Sotomayor to Trigger Times Square Ball Drop

Sonia Sotomayor is set to make history tomorrow night as the first Supreme Court justice to lead the world's most-watched New Year's Eve celebration. The Bronx native has been chosen to follow the likes of Bill Clinton, Lady Gaga, and Muhammad Ali by pressing the crystal-covered button to lower the ball and start the 60-second countdown to welcome 2014 in New York City's Times Square, reports NBC.

Sotomayor—one of four New Yorkers on the court—"is an inspiration to many, and it is a privilege to welcome her to our celebration to ring in 2014," says the president of the Times Square Alliance. The Times Square party, expected to be seen on television by around a billion people worldwide, will be hosted by Anderson Cooper and will feature musical guests including Miley Cyrus, but outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be absent for the first time in 11 years, the New York Times reports. (More Sonia Sotomayor stories.)