Sonia Sotomayor, born on June 25, 1954, in the Bronx, New York, is the first Latina to serve as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Raised in a working-class Puerto Rican family, Sotomayor faced many challenges growing up, including the death of her father when she was nine years old and the struggles of being a child of immigrants in an urban environment. However, her passion for education and determination led her to excel academically. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1976 and earned her law degree from Yale Law School in 1979. After law school, Sotomayor worked as a prosecutor and later as a private practice lawyer before being appointed to the U.S. District Court in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush and then to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1998 by President Bill Clinton.
In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, making her the first Puerto Rican and the third woman to serve as a Justice. Her confirmation was met with widespread support, and she was sworn in on August 8, 2009. Throughout her career, Sotomayor has been a staunch advocate for the rights of marginalized communities, emphasizing the importance of empathy and understanding in legal decision-making. Known for her clear and thoughtful legal opinions, she has consistently championed civil rights, voting rights, and reproductive rights. Justice Sotomayor’s rise to the Supreme Court is a testament to her resilience, hard work, and commitment to justice, and she continues to be an inspiration to many, especially in the Latino community.
