May 7, 2009
It is the great beauty of this nation that we do leave the lawmaking to our elected branches and that we expect our courts to understand its limited role.
Sonia Sotomayor
The Public Record
Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, having been nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009. She is the first Hispanic and Latina member of the Court. Sotomayor previously served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as a district court judge for the Southern District of New York. Her judicial philosophy often emphasizes the importance of empathy and the impact of the law on the lives of individuals, particularly marginalized communities.
congress.gov
May 7, 2009
As a judge I don't make policy. I don't make the policy choices for Congress.
May 7, 2009
Unless the statute requires or directs you to look at foreign law, the answer is no. Foreign law cannot be used as a holding, or a precedent, or to bind or influence the outcome of a legal decision interpreting the Constitution or American…
May 7, 2009
I accept the proposition that a difference there will be by the presence of women and people of color on the bench and that my experiences affect the facts I choose to see as a judge.
May 7, 2009
It does appear that the Supreme Court's docket has lessened over time, its decisions that it's addressing.
May 7, 2009
I wonder whether achieving the goal of impartiality is possible at all in even most cases, and I wonder whether by ignoring our differences as women, men, or people of color we do a disservice to both the law and society.
May 7, 2009
I think what Justice Roberts was saying is the Court needs to think about its processes to ensure that it's fulfilling its----
May 7, 2009
In that regard, the Constitution is abundantly clear. There is an amendment process set forth. It controls how you change the Constitution.
May 7, 2009
My own judgment is that it would seem odd, indeed, if any Justice would sit in review of a decision that they authored.
May 7, 2009
I think that most lawyers who participate in argument before me know how engaged I become in their arguments and trying to understand them.
May 7, 2009
Ignoring things and saying, you know, it doesn't happen isn't an answer to a situation.
May 7, 2009
In the end, I would tell your constituents, Senators, look at my record and understand that my record talks about who I am as a person, what I believe in, and my judgment and my opinion, that following the rule of law is the foundation of…
May 7, 2009
I do understand the importance to Congress' factual findings, that my cases and my approach in my cases reflect that.
May 7, 2009
I accepted and applied established Supreme Court precedent that the Supreme Court in its own opinion in Heller acknowledged answered a different question.
May 7, 2009
What choices do you think about in terms of what Congress will do, what politicians will do.
May 7, 2009
In the first instance, it's always Congress or State passing regulation that the Court is reviewing and determining whether it complies with constitutional limits.
May 7, 2009
In every case I approach, I start from that working proposition and apply the law to the facts before it.
May 7, 2009
I do not believe that judges should use their personal feelings, beliefs, or value systems or make their--to influence their outcomes.
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