Sonia Sotomayor
Belem Gonzalez
Early Life
- Sonia Sotomayor was born on June 25 1954 in New York City.
- Sonia's parents Juan and Celina Baez Sotomayor, from Puerto Rico moved to New York for a better life.
- Sonia decided she wanted to become a judge when she watched the show Perry Mason.
- Her dad died when she was 9 and her mother raised Sonia and her younger siblings as a single parent and pushed them to have a good education
Career
Sotomayor was nominated for
- Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Bill Clinton.
- Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Barack Obama.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- Nominated by George H.W. Bush
- Became the youngest judge the southern Disctict.
- First Hispanic judge in the southern District.
- She kept a low profile as a district court judge.
- She gained a reputation for having though sentencing and well prepared.
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Nominated by President Bill Clinton.
- She was in the Second circuit for over 10 years.
- She heard appeals for around 3000 cases.
- She wrote about 380 opinions.
Supreme Court Justice
First Latina Supreme Court Justice
Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama in May 26 2009 and was confirmed in August 2009 by the US Senate.
Her first vote as an associate Supreme Court Justice on August 17,2009.
One of the strongest voices in supporting the rights of the accused.
Additional Information
- She entered Princeton University on a full scholarship.
- She married her high school boyfriend, Kevin Edward Noonan and took the marriage name Sonia Sotomayor de Noonan.
- She divorced Noonan sever years later.
- She entered Yale law school on a full scholarship.
- She wrote book called "My Beloved World".
Famous Quotes
- When everyone at school is speaking one language, and a lot of your classmates' parents also speak it, and you go home and see that your community is different -there is a sense of shame attached to that. It really takes growing up to treasure the specialness of being different.
- If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you might just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what's important to them.
- I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.
Fun Facts
- She was born in the same year as brown v. board of education.
She “leaned in” during the nomination process
She enjoyed Nancy Drew books when she was younger.
At the age of 8, Sotomayor was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
Why i choose this historical figure
I choose Sonia Sotomayor because i admire her and her acomplishments