A portrait of Sonia Sotomayor, June 2010, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institute.
A portrait of Sonia Sotomayor, June 2010, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institute.
Sonia Sotomayor was born June 25, 1954 in the Bronx, New York. Both her parents were from Puerto Rico and came to the United States after World War II. They were fairly middle class, her mother worked as a nurse and her father did manual labor. At the age of 9, Sonia’s father passed and her mother is forced to work more days and hours to provide for the family. Despite growing up in a single parent family, she thrived academically. She was able to go to a private catholic school and was a the top of her class all throughout her education. She graduated as valedictorian and was able to get a full-ride scholarship to Princeton University thanks to affirmative action.
During the time she attended college, she joined various organizations and clubs. At Princeton University, she became the co-owner of a Puerto Rican activist group called Accioncion Puertorriquena where she called out the school administration for discriminating against Puerto Ricans when hiring. When she continued her education at Yale, she also became co-chair of the Latin American and Native American Students Association. She was successful and graduated with high honors from both ivy league colleges.
The Supreme Court US in 2010. Taken October 23, 2012. Photo by Steve Petteway, from the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States.
After graduating, Sotomayor turned down job offers and became an assistant district attorney. She later moved into private practice and eventually became a partner. She excelled at it and, with the recommendation of senators, she was promoted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and six years later, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 2009, when a spot opened in the Supreme Court, President Barack Obama nominated her. Since May 26, 2009, Sonia began to practice law as a Supreme Court judge and still does to this day.
Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor. Taken May 24, 2009. Photo from the Official White House Photostream
Sonia proved her worth when she worked on high-profile cases like the infamous “Tarzan” murder case, the large child pornography bust and the major league baseball case. Sotomayor was successful at placing criminals in jail. It was these cases that made her rise and others began to take notice of her. Some of the other important cases she dealt with over the years are:
Marilyn Church. Baseball Judge Sonia Sotomayor, March 31, 1995. Colored pencil, ink, and water-soluble crayon on ochre paper. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (036.00.00)