Justice Sonia Sotomayor has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since August 2009. Nominated by President Barack Obama, she became the first Hispanic and Latina to serve on the Court.
Early Life and Education
Born on June 25, 1954, in the Bronx, New York, Sotomayor was raised by her mother after her father’s death when she was nine. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1976 and earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1979.
Judicial Career
Before ascending to the Supreme Court, Sotomayor served as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1992–1998) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1998–2009). Throughout her career, she has been known for her advocacy for criminal justice reform and her concern for the rights of criminal defendants.
Notable Supreme Court Decisions
On the Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor has participated in several significant rulings:
- Miranda Rights: In J.D.B. v. North Carolina (2011), she wrote the majority opinion holding that a child’s age is relevant in determining Miranda custody, emphasizing the need to consider the differences between children and adults in legal settings.
- Fourth Amendment Protections: In United States v. Jones (2012), Sotomayor filed a concurring opinion suggesting the need to reassess privacy expectations in the digital age, particularly regarding information voluntarily disclosed to third parties.
- Abortion Rights: In Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson (2021), she penned a dissenting opinion criticizing the majority’s decision to uphold a Texas law allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers, highlighting concerns over the erosion of constitutional rights.
Recent Activities
In March 2025, speaking at Georgetown University Law Center, Justice Sotomayor implicitly addressed criticisms of the judiciary, emphasizing the importance of maintaining norms that uphold the rule of law and expressing concern over increasing disrespect for the judiciary.