Sonia Sotomayor Biography

Sonia Sotomayor Biography

American Attorney and Jurist Sonia Maria Sotomayor serves as an Associate Justice on the US supreme court. On May 26, 2009, Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, announced her nomination. She began working there on August 8, 2009.

She has experienced a lot of firsts. She is the third woman who works for the Supreme Court and the 1st Latina, Hispanic, woman of color.

Her birthday is June 25, 1954. She got born in New York City’s Bronx. Her parents were Puerto Rican natives. Her mom raised her after her father passed away when she was only nine. She obtained her Juris doctor from Yale Law Journal, wherein she also served as an editor. Prior to beginning her solo business in 1984, she was employed in New York as a district attorney’s assistant.

She was nominated for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District in New York by George Bush in 1991, and she was chosen in 1992. The Republican Majority delayed the nomination, but she was ultimately chosen.

President Barack Obama proposed her for the Supreme Court in 2009 after Justice David Souter declared his retirement. When the justices are split along the widely accepted ideological lines during her term, she tends to lean toward the Liberal Bloc.

She was known to be interested in criminal justice reforms and defendants’ rights during her time in office. She used to express strong opinions on touchy subjects including race, gender, and ethnicity.

Early Years

Juan Sotomayor, her father, was a native of Sancture, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sonia got born in the Big Apple. Additionally, Celina Baez, her mother, was an orphan. They each departed Puerto Rico on their own. They were wed amid World War 2.

During World War 2, her mom functioned in the Woman’s Army Corps. Her father had no formal education and did not even know how to speak English.

Her mother held two jobs before transitioning to one as a practical nurse: telephone operator and nurse. She also has a sibling. Juan Sotomayor was a doctor and a professor at a Syracuse, New York, institution. Her parents were raised in Puerto Rican neighborhoods and brought her up in a Catholic setting. “Nuyorican” is how she describes her ethnicity. She was a die-hard New York Yankees supporter. Her family had been a blended one. Her family got together frequently, and she liked to spend the summers in Puerto Rico.

Her parents were distant from her. She was raised by an emotionally unavailable mother and an alcoholic father. She was quite close to her granny. She provided her with “Purpose and safety.” She received a type 1 diabetes diagnosis when she was seven years old.

She used to inject herself with insulin every day. Her father suffered numerous heart issues as a result of his alcoholism. When he was 42, he passed away due to those issues. When Sonia’s father passed away, she was nine years old.

She improved her English fluency over time. Characters from literature and television shows used to inspire her. She was initially motivated by Nancy Drew, but after being diagnosed, her doctor advised her against pursuing a career as a detective.

Instead, she was encouraged to seek a career in law and become a judge after enjoying the Perry Mason television series.

In 1998, she claimed “I knew when I was eleven years old that I was attending college and pursuing a career as an attorney. Celina, her mother, placed a high value on education.

It was quite unusual in housing complexes for her to get a Britannica encyclopedia for her children.

Despite not having a close relationship with her mother, Sonia looked up to Celina. She went to Blessed Sacrament School in Soundview to work on her grammar. She attended that school with almost perfect attendance.

She later passed the admissions test and enrolled in Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx.

She was chosen for the forensics squad there, and she was also voted to the student council.

University and Law School

Sonia attended Princeton College. Due to her excellent academic standing, she was accepted to Princeton. Her stay at Princeton, in her words, “changed her life.” Hailing from the Bronx & Puerto Rico, she initially experienced a sense of alienation. Few women attended Princeton as undergraduates.

When she was a freshman, she initially feared asking questions. She had to put in a lot of effort and stay up late to get knowledge on stuff she didn’t already know.

She was a student activist as well. Sonia struggled her 1st year, but her 2nd and 3rd years saw her earn two ‘A’s.

On August 14, following her graduation from Princeton, she wed Kevin Edward Noonan.

When she was a senior in high school, she began dating Kevin. Kevin worked as a patent attorney and scientist.

In the winter of 1976, she enrolled at Yale Law School. When she enrolled at Yale University, she fared well. She wasn’t one of the class leaders, but she was respected as a diligent learner.

She began working for the renowned New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison during her second year.