Date of Birth: June 25, 1954
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Biography
Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born on June 25, 1954, in the Bronx, New York City, to Puerto Rican-born parents. She grew up in a modest environment, facing significant challenges, including her father’s death when she was nine years old. Despite these hardships, Sotomayor excelled academically, attending Cardinal Spellman High School before earning a scholarship to Princeton University. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1976 and went on to attend Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal. Sotomayor began her legal career as an assistant district attorney in New York County, where she prosecuted a wide range of cases. She then entered private practice, working as a partner at Pavia & Harcourt. In 1991, she was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, making her the youngest judge in the Southern District and the first Hispanic federal judge in New York State. In 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Her tenure on the Second Circuit lasted until 2009, when President Barack Obama nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was confirmed by the Senate in August 2009, becoming the first Hispanic and Latina Justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Justice Sotomayor has been known for her passionate and empathetic approach to the law, often emphasizing the importance of personal experiences in shaping one’s understanding of justice. She has authored several notable opinions and dissents on issues ranging from civil rights to criminal justice.
5 Interesting Facts about Sonia Sotomayor
1. Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic and Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history.
2. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age seven.
3. Sotomayor wrote a memoir titled “My Beloved World,” which details her life story and rise to the Supreme Court.
4. She has been an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform and has written extensively on the subject.
5. Sotomayor is known for her love of baseball and is a lifelong New York Yankees fan.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Sonia Sotomayor
1. “I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.”
2. “Until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.”
3. “The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.”
4. “It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.”
5. “You can’t dream unless you know what the possibilities are.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
As of 2023, Sonia Sotomayor’s estimated net worth is around $6 million.
Children
Sonia Sotomayor does not have any children.
Relevant Links
1. [Sonia Sotomayor – Biography on Oyez](https://www.oyez.org/justices/sonia_sotomayor
4. [Sonia Sotomayor – The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/sonia-sotomayor
5. [Sonia Sotomayor – Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sonia-Sotomayor
