Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will have the honor of pushing the button that will lower the Times Square ball in the final countdown to 2014 in New York City on Tuesday.

Sotomayor, who calls the Bronx home, will lead the million plus crowds that flock Times Square to ring in the new year by pushing the crystal button at 11:59 p.m., event organizers announced in a news release.

“Justice Sotomayor is an inspiration to many, and it is a privilege to welcome her to our celebration to ring in 2014,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins in a statement.

“Who better to join us in the Crossroads of the World than one of New York’s own,” he added.

Tompkins said that regular attendee Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who led the celebration last year, will not be present this year, opting instead to celebrate privately with family and friends.

Sotomayor is the first Latina and the third female Supreme Court judge and was appointed in 2009. She is also the first Supreme Court justice to have the honor of pushing the New Year’s Eve ball button on Times Square.

The famous, giant New Year’s Eve ball is lit from within by more than 32,000 lights and is covered in more than 2,600 crystal triangles.

Image via Wikimedia