Sonia Sotomayor

To cast serious doubt on longstanding precedent is a step we historically take only with the greatest caution and reticence.

In addition to being near instant, death by shooting may also be comparatively painless.

It was heartbreaking. I can't even tell you. It's like closing not just a chapter in my life, but slamming a door on an entire history, not just my history, but the countless students who have gone through these halls.

Oh, I know it can change. Don't worry it might change. It will change.

My mom worked six days a week most of her adult life to be able to afford to come here. And if it hadn't been for the generosity of the church, we would not have been able to afford this.

Doubtful. Would I and my brother and I have been able to resist the war of drugs in the surrounding schools? Who knows.

The job of a judge is to apply the law.

facts, not feelings, that decide cases.

I will be impartial if confirmed.

Sotomayor insisted repeatedly that she would be impartial if confirmed.

I would bring bias and a liberal agenda to her seat as the first Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court.

The task of a judge is not to make law; it is to apply the law.

Many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. Simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make law. It is to apply the law.

I stand on the shoulders of countless people. Yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor.

No federal agent can conspire with people to torture another human being. Isn't that what you're saying?

A wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.

a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.

I stand on the shoulders of countless people, yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor.

I have often said that I am all I am because of her, and I am only half the woman she is.

I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.

Court of Appeals is where policy is made. And I know -- and I know this is on tape and I should never say that because we don't make law, I know -- ok.

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

the aspiration to impartiality is just that. It's an aspiration, because it denies the fact that we are by our experiences making different choices than others.

In some situations, the Court looks at the action and applies a stricter scrutiny to the government's action.

American law does not permit the use of foreign law or international law to interpret the Constitution.