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.
One hopes, by having the wisdom of a Harlan in Plessy, by having the wisdom to understand, always, no matter what the situation, that our Constitution has held us in good stead for over 200 years and that our survival depends on upholding…
I seek to strengthen both the rule of law and faith in the impartiality of the justice system.
In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. Simple: fidelity to the law.
It is firmly my hope, as it was expressed by Justice O'Connor in her decision involving the University of Michigan Law School admissions criteria, that in 25 years, race in our society won't be needed to be considered in any situation.
Senators, I look forward, in the next few days, to answering your questions, to having the American people learn more about me.
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.
I would tell them to look at my decisions for 17 years and note that in every one of them, I have done what I say that I so firmly believe in.
I will not use foreign law to interpret the Constitution or American statutes.
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.
I do believe in those things absolutely, and that's what I have proven I do as a judge.
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