Sonia Sotomayor

Background

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is often described as an example of the American dream. Her memoir is a story of self-discovery and the possibilities of America as seen through her “still astonished eyes.” Justice Sotomayor was born in 1954 in the Bronx in New York City. Her parents came to New York City from Puerto Rico during World War II. Her father was a factory worker who died when she was only nine. She and her brother were raised by her mother, a nurse, in a public housing project. Justice Sotomayor graduated as valedictorian of her class at Cardinal Spellman High School. She went to Princeton University on a full scholarship and attended Yale Law School. Justice Sotomayor has worked in nearly every level of the judicial system, beginning her career as an assistant district attorney of New York. Nominated by President George H.W. Bush, she served six years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern New York. In 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit where she served 11 years. President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court in May of 2009. She is the first Hispanic and third female justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. This past speaker page shares her podium presentation as well as the Q&A.