  For a finite $E \subset \R^2$, $f:E \rightarrow \R$, and $p>2$, we produce a
continuous $F:\R^2 \rightarrow \R$ depending linearly on $f$, taking the same
values as $f$ on $E$, and with $L^{2,p}(\R^2)$ semi-norm minimal up to a factor
$C=C(p)$. This solves the Whitney extension problem for the Sobolev space
$L^{2,p}(\R^2)$. A standard method for solving extension problems is to find a
collection of local extensions, each defined on a small square, which if chosen
to be mutually consistent can be patched together to form a global extension
defined on the entire plane. For Sobolev spaces the standard form of
consistency is not applicable due to the (generically) non-local structure of
the trace norm. In this paper, we define a new notion of consistency among
local Sobolev extensions and apply it toward constructing a bounded linear
extension operator. Our methods generalize to produce similar results for the
$n$-dimensional case, and may be applicable toward understanding higher
smoothness Sobolev extension problems.
