Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, appointed in 2009 as the first Hispanic and Latina member of the Court.
A former federal prosecutor and appeals court judge, she is known for her liberal jurisprudence and has become a symbol of representation for Puerto Rican and Latino communities: My daughter dressed as Sonia Sotomayor for her school's biography project.
Nation's top tribunal
- justiceFair treatment under law
- judiciaryLaw-interpreting government branch
- judgeOne who decides
- nominationFormal candidate selection
confirmation · Obama · federal judge · prosecutor · litigator · Yale Law · Princeton · corporate law
From the smallest Greater Antille
- NuyoricanStateside Puerto Rican identity
- BronxNYC's northernmost borough
- HispanicOf Spanish-speaking origin
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
bilingual · abuela · familia · South Bronx · Catholicism · diabetes · working-class · projects
Just and equal treatment
- equalitySame status for all
- justiceFair treatment under law
- empathySharing another's emotions
- lived experienceKnowledge from personal participation
dignity · opportunity · perseverance · determination · resilience · advocacy · compassion · inclusion
Legal principles from founding documents
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- judicial philosophyApproach to interpreting law
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
- criminal justiceState apparatus for prosecuting offenders
Fourth Amendment · civil rights · equal protection · precedent · majority opinion · concurrence · legal reasoning · voting rights
First to forge ahead
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- role modelPerson others emulate
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
representation · empowerment · mentorship · diversity · historic · pathfinder · advocate · visibility
Supreme Court
Nation's top tribunal
nomination · confirmation · Obama · federal judge · prosecutor · litigator · Yale Law · Princeton · corporate law · bench
Puerto Rican
From the smallest Greater Antille
- NuyoricanStateside Puerto Rican identity
- BronxNYC's northernmost borough
- HispanicOf Spanish-speaking origin
heritage · bilingual · abuela · familia · South Bronx · Catholicism · diabetes · working-class · projects · New York
fairness
Just and equal treatment
lived experience · dignity · opportunity · perseverance · determination · resilience · advocacy · compassion · inclusion · accessibility
constitutional law
Legal principles from founding documents
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- judicial philosophyApproach to interpreting law
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
criminal justice · Fourth Amendment · civil rights · equal protection · precedent · majority opinion · concurrence · legal reasoning · voting rights · immigration
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- role modelPerson others emulate
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
inspiration · representation · empowerment · mentorship · diversity · historic · pathfinder · advocate · visibility · children's books
- Puerto RicansBad Bunny, Roberto Clemente, Ricky Martin, Rita Moreno, Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Latino CultureHispanic Americans, Latino, Chicana, Mexican-American, Cuban Americans
- Ivy League AlumniBarack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George W. Bush
- Latina WomenFrida Kahlo, Selena, Shakira, Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan
- Obama EraBarack Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Obamacare, Affordable Care Act
- Women in LawRuth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, civil rights lawyer, corporate lawyer
Sonia SotomayorClarence Thomas
Brett Kavanaugh · Amy Coney Barrett · strict constructionist · originalist · old guard