Sonia Sotomayor

The fact that the law says that you can do this doesn't always mean that you as a person should choose to do this.

My career as a judge has shown me that regardless of what my desires were, that my life, what I have accomplished, does serve as an inspiration for others.

Those freedoms are central to our Constitution.

If he was talking about the fact that I served on a particular board that promoted equal opportunity for people, then you could talk about that being a liberal instinct.

Certainly there are some very specific words in the Constitution that have to be given direct application.

All precedent of the Court is entitled to the respect of the doctrine of stare decisis.

The one thing I have found is that if you come into the criminal justice system on a prosecutorial or defense level thinking that you can change the ills of society, you are going to be sorely disappointed.

Make sure your students don't leave your school without understanding the critical importance of public service in what they do as lawyers.

I do believe in those things absolutely, and that's what I have proven I do as a judge.

The goal of justice to be impartial, that is the central role of a judge.

I have ruled according to the law in all cases addressed to the issue of the termination of abortion rights.

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…

I want to give you complete assurance that I agree with Senator Hatch on his decision--his definition of activism.

In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court found that the fundamental right to privacy included the right to decide whether or not to have an abortion.

Access to Internet, given its importance in everything today--most businesses depend on it.

I held that the act violated the Constitution, but that the evidence could still be used because the officers had--there was, in law, a good faith exception to the error in the warrant.

To me, that's a core responsibility of lawyering.

The question of how to do that and whether that's right by the court would be a question that Congress... would have to... think about changing.

The doctrine of stare decisis is a doctrine that looks to the value in the stability, consistency, predictability of precedent.

I think what Justice Roberts was saying is the Court needs to think about its processes to ensure that it's fulfilling its----

We cannot remedy the ills of society in a courtroom. We can only apply the law to the facts before us.

We don't render decisions to please the home crowd or any other crowd.

It improves both the public's confidence that there are judges from a variety of different backgrounds on the bench.

It helps you listen and understand. It doesn't change what the law is or what the law commands.

I would regret that because for me the work I do with students... is to encourage both students...