Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court of the United States
Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York in June 1954. She attended Princeton University on a full scholarship, where she earned an undergraduate degree. She earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. During her law school summers, she worked first for a New York law firm and later for one in the District of Columbia.
She was hired out of law school to be an assistant district attorney at the New York County District Attorneys’ Office. She later established her own private practice firm in Manhattan. She served four years on the New York City Campaign Finance Board, having been appointed by Mayor Ed Koch.
In 1992, she was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the bench of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. She served there for six years, then she was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a position on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 2009, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Justice Sotomayor is divorced from Kevin Noonan. She has no children. She is Catholic.
In the News…
Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated, now that there are four women on the Supreme Court bench, conversations are less adversarial and more collegial.
Justice Sotomayor said that, despite legal controversies on the bench, the justices get along well. “I try to find the good in everybody. Because if I can treat them as people with good things inside of me, they can feel it. They can feel that there are things inside them that I value. And they’re more willing to talk to me.”
She maintained that standing for principle is more important than collegiality. “If you feel disenfranchised and let others fight for the things they think are right and you’re not willing to get up and fight for the things you think are right, you’re just giving it to them,” she said. “You are just walking away and not giving yourselves or the world a chance to get better. And I just won’t do that. You know, I just won’t.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Justice Sotomayor today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20543
