Sonia Sotomayor
2009 - Present
16
Sonia Sotomayor is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. President Barack Obama (D) nominated her to fill the vacancy following Justice David Souter's retirement on June 29, 2009. The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination on August 6, 2009, by a vote of 68-31. She was sworn in on August 8, 2009, becoming the first Hispanic justice to sit on the court.[1][2][3]
Prior to her elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court, Sotomayor was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998 to 2009. President Bill Clinton (D) nominated her to the court on June 25, 1997, to a seat vacated by J. Daniel Mahoney. She was confirmed to the court by the Senate on October 2, 1998, and received commission on October 7, 1998.[1] A notable ruling included her majority opinion in abortion case Center for Reproductive Law and Policy v. Bush (2002). Click here to read more about Sotomayor's noteworthy opinions during her judicial career.
From 1992 to 1998, Sotomayor was a federal district judge. President George H.W. Bush (R) nominated her to serve on the District Court for the Southern District of New York on November 27, 1991, to a seat vacated by John M. Walker, Jr. She was confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1992, and received commission on August 12, 1992.[1] While on the court, notable rulings included Silverman v. Major League Baseball Player Relations Committee, Inc, where her decision ended a Major League Baseball strike, and Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, where her opinion in a Seinfeld-related copyright infringement case became a standard for fair use doctrine.[2]
In 2015, Sotomayor said of her judicial philosophy and jurisprudence: "I have always tried to approach the law as a learning process, as one of trying to understanding how other people have approached particular questions. I believe that people really expect the law to have some fixed meaning that gives them some measure of comfort in their human relations."[4] In a 2025 conversation with Georgetown Law School Dean William M. Treanor, Sotomayor said, “For me, my approach has always relied on a broader understanding that it’s not mere words and it’s not mere history... The idea that we would think that we were frozen into a period of time seems alien to what I think the purpose of the Constitution is. ... The vast majority of my dissents surround issues of fair process, because that really guides what I think justice is about."[5]
Sotomayor's Oyez profile said, "Sotomayor is known on the court for her trust in the judicial process, and her cutthroat attitude toward ill-prepared attorneys. She is also known for her kindness toward jurors and the attorneys who work hard to advocate for their clients."[2] Recapping Sotomayor's first ten years on the court, USA Today Supreme Court reporter and opinion contributor Richard Wolf wrote in 2019, "Her voice, in all its forms, has become the liberal conscience on a conservative court, one that speaks out in defense of minorities, immigrants, criminal defendants and death row inmates. ... best known for her opinions on civil rights, privacy rights and criminal justice... As the court has trended more conservative in recent years, Sotomayor's objections have become more frequent and forceful."[6]
Sotomayor’s notable Supreme Court opinions include her dissent in the preferential admissions case Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action (2014), her majority opinion in the tribal nations' hunting rights case Herrera v. Wyoming (2018), and her joint dissent in the abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022). Click here to read more about Justice Sotomayor's noteworthy opinions.
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States Supreme Court (2009-present)
Nominee Information |
---|
Name: Sonia Sotomayor |
Court: Supreme Court of the United States |
Progress |
Confirmed 66 days after nomination. |
![]() |
![]() |
Questionnaire: |
![]() |
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
President Barack Obama (D) nominated Sonia Sotomayor to fill the vacancy following Justice David Souter's retirement on June 29, 2009. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of her confirmation on July 28, 2009, in a 13-6 vote with one Republican, Senator Lindsey Graham, voting in favor. Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2009, on a vote of 68-31. She was sworn in on August 8, 2009.[1][2][7][8][9][10][11]
Sotomayor is the first Hispanic United States Supreme Court justice and she was the third woman to serve on the nation's highest court.[8][12][13]
Second Circuit Court of Appeals (1998-2009)
Sotomayor served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit from 1998 until her confirmation as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009.[1]
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D), Sotomayor was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit by President Bill Clinton (D) on June 25, 1997, to a seat vacated by Daniel Mahoney. Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 2, 1998, on a 67-29-2 vote, receiving her commission on October 7, 1998.[14][15]
A majority of judicial evaluators at the American Bar Association ranked Sotomayor in 1997 as "well qualified" for a position on the federal appellate bench, while a minority of evaluators found her "qualified."[16]
In filling out her Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, Sotomayor wrote that "judges must be extraordinarily sensitive to the impact of their decisions and function within, and respectful of, the Constitution."[17]
For Sotomayor's confirmation materials from 1998, visit the Sotomayor Collection at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library at this link.
Southern District of New York (1992-1998)
Sotomayor's appointment as a U.S. district judge with the Southern District of New York was held up for nearly a year under an anonymous hold from one or more senators after she was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. She received a Unanimously Qualified rating by the American Bar Association for the position. Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 11, 1992, by unanimous consent, receiving her commission on August 12, 1992. When she joined the court, she was its youngest judge.[18][19][20]
Biography
Sotomayor was born in New York, New York, on June 25, 1954. Her parents were born in Puerto Rico.[21][22][23] She graduated as valedictorian from Cardinal Spellman High School, a private Catholic school in New York City, in 1972.[2]
Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an undergraduate degree in history in 1976. While at Princeton, she received the M. Taylor Pyne Honor Prize. Sotomayor wrote her senior thesis on "The Impact of the Life of Luis Muñoz Marin on the Political and Economic History of Puerto Rico, 1930-1975." After graduating from Princeton University, Sotomayor attended Yale Law School, where she received her J.D. in 1979. She co-chaired the Latin American and Native American Students Association and was published in the Yale Law Journal — where she served as an editor — with the note "Statehood and the Equal Footing Doctrine: The Case for Puerto Rican Seabed Rights," analyzing Puerto Rico's ability to maintain rights to its seabed if it pursued statehood.[1][21][24][25][26][27][28][29]
Sotomayor began her legal career as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan in 1979. She moved into private practice at Pavia & Harcourt in 1984, where she specialized in intellectual property rights and copyright litigation.[2]
At the time of her confirmation, Sotomayor was the sixth sitting Catholic on the court, alongside Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.[30][31][32]
Professional career
- 2009-present: Associate justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- 1998-2009: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
- 1992-1998: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- 1984-1992: Private practice, New York, N.Y.
- 1979-1984: Assistant district attorney, New York County, N.Y.[1]
Approach to the law
Recapping her first ten years on the court, Richard Wolf wrote in USA Today in 2019 that "she has been a reliable member of the court's liberal wing."[33]
Oyez, a law project created by Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, Justia, and Chicago-Kent College of Law, said in 2019 that Sotomayor "is known on the court for her trust in the judicial process, and her cutthroat attitude toward ill-prepared attorneys. She is also known for her kindness toward jurors and the attorneys who work hard to advocate for their clients."[2]
Martin-Quinn score
Sotomayor's Martin-Quinn score following the 2023-2024 term was -4.21, making her the most liberal justice on the court at that time. Martin-Quinn scores were developed by political scientists Andrew Martin and Kevin Quinn from the University of Michigan, and measure the justices of the Supreme Court along an ideological continuum. The further from zero on the scale, the more conservative (>0) or liberal (<0) the justice. The chart below details every justice's Martin-Quinn score for the 2023-2024 term. These are preliminary scores provided by Kevin Quinn that may differ slightly from the final version of the scores that Martin and Quinn will make publicly available at a later date.
Video discussion
Sotomayor spoke at the Library of Congress in February 2018 about her work as a children's author, differences in her work at different levels of federal courts, and how rulings of the court impact future cases. The video of that event is embedded below.
Supreme Court statistics
Opinions by year
Below is a table of the number of opinions, concurrences, and dissents that Sotomayor has issued since joining the Supreme Court according to the data on Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute and the website SCOTUSblog. This information is updated annually at the end of each term.[34][35][36][37] Information for the 2022 term is from a dataset provided by Dr. Adam Feldman, author of Empirical SCOTUS. Data for the 2022-2023 term does not include concurrences and dissents in part. Information for the 2023-2024 term is from the Empirical SCOTUS 2023 Stat Review.
Opinions written by year, Sonia Sotomayor | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | ||
Opinions | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | |
Concurrences | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
Dissents | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 7 | |
Totals | 15 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 13 | 18 |
Justice agreement
In the 2023-2024 term, Sotomayor had the highest agreement rate with Elena Kagan. She had lowest agreement rate with Clarence Thomas.[38] In the 2022-2023 term, Sotomayor had the highest agreement rate with Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. She had lowest agreement rate with Samuel Alito.[39] This does not include agreements in part.[40]
The table below highlights Sotomayor's agreement rate with each justice on the court during that term.[41][42]
Sonia Sotomayor agreement rates by term, 2017 - Present | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justice | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | |||
John Roberts | 66% | 65% | 69% | 66% | 54% | 56% | 71% | |||
Anthony Kennedy | 65% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
Clarence Thomas | 51% | 50% | 44% | 55% | 40% | 65% | 51% | |||
Ruth Bader Ginsburg | 96% | 93% | 89% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
Stephen Breyer | 90% | 85% | 85% | 93% | 86% | N/A | N/A | |||
Samuel Alito | 49% | 57% | 46% | 53% | 43% | 62% | 53% | |||
Elena Kagan | 91% | 88% | 88% | 88% | 90% | 95% | 97% | |||
Neil Gorsuch | 55% | 63% | 64% | 58% | 52% | 71% | 61% | |||
Brett Kavanaugh | N/A | 64% | 65% | 66% | 54% | 78% | 69% | |||
Amy Coney Barrett | N/A | N/A | N/A | 58% | 48% | 76% | 69% | |||
Ketanji Brown Jackson | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 95% | 92% |
Frequency in majority
In the 2023-2024 term, Sotomayor was in the majority in 71 percent of decisions. Sotomayor and Elena Kagan and were in the majority the least often of all the justices.[38] In the 2022-2023 term, Sotomayor was in the majority in 82 percent of decisions. Sotomayor was in the majority more often than two of the justices.[39][34][43][44]
Since the 2011-2012 term, Sotomayor has been in the majority more than 80 percent of the time five times. Across those terms, she has been in the majority an average of 77 percent of the time.[34][45][38]
Noteworthy cases
The noteworthy cases listed in this section include any case where the justice authored a 5-4 majority opinion or an 8-1 dissent. Other cases may be included in this section if they set or overturn an established legal precedent, are a major point of discussion in an election campaign, receive substantial media attention related to the justice's ruling, or based on our editorial judgment that the case is noteworthy. For more on how we decide which cases are noteworthy, click here.
Since she joined the court through the 2022-2023 term, Sotomayor authored the majority opinion in a 5-4 decision ten times and authored a dissent in an 8-1 decision 18 times. The table below details these cases by year.[46]
Sonia Sotomayor noteworthy cases | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 5-4 majority opinion | 8-1 dissenting opinion | ||
Total | 10 | 18 | ||
2023-2024 | 0 | 0 | ||
2022-2023 | 1 | 0 | ||
2021-2022 | 1 | 4 | ||
2020-2021 | 1 | 4 | ||
2019-2020 | 0 | 1 | ||
2018-2019 | 1 | 0 | ||
2017-2018 | 0 | 0 | ||
2016-2017 | 0 | 2 | ||
2015-2016 | 0 | 2 | ||
2014-2015 | 2 | 2 | ||
2013-2014 | 0 | 1 | ||
2012-2013 | 1 | 0 | ||
2011-2012 | 2 | 2 | ||
2010-2011 | 1 | 0 | ||
2009-2010 | 0 | 0 |
U.S. Supreme Court noteworthy opinions
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit opinions
During more than a decade as a circuit court judge, Sotomayor heard appeals on more than 3,000 cases and wrote more than 380 opinions for the majority. Five of those decisions were reviewed by the United States Supreme Court, three of them were overturned and two were upheld.[17][53]
Southern District of New York opinions
Sotomayor wrote several high-profile rulings regarding the Major League Baseball strike of 1994, the Wall Street Journal's publishing of the suicide note left by former Clinton White House counsel Vince Foster, and copyright issues related to a trivia book about the television show Seinfeld. As a federal district judge, Sotomayor had one of her decisions overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.
About the courts
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.[89]
The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the United States Senate per Article II of the United States Constitution. As federal judges, the justices serve during "good behavior," which means that justices have tenure for life unless they are removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction.[90]
The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress.
The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.[90]
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Second Circuit |
---|
Court of Appeals |
![]() |
Judgeships |
Posts: 13 |
Judges: 13 |
Vacancies: 0 |
Judges |
Chief: Debra Livingston |
Active judges: Joseph Bianco, Maria Araujo Kahn, Eunice Lee, Debra Livingston, Raymond Lohier, Steven Menashi, Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam, William Nardini, Alison J. Nathan, Michael H. Park, Myrna Pérez, Beth Robinson, Richard Sullivan Senior judges: |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Appeals are heard in the Thurgood Marshall Federal Courthouse in New York City.
Four judges of the Second Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. John Marshall Harlan II was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1955 by Dwight Eisenhower, Thurgood Marshall was appointed in 1967 by Lyndon Johnson, and Sonia Sotomayor was appointed in 2009 by Barack Obama. The Second Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Southern District of New York |
---|
Second Circuit |
![]() |
Judgeships |
Posts: 28 |
Judges: 26 |
Vacancies: 2 |
Judges |
Chief: Laura Swain |
Active judges: Ronnie Abrams, Vernon Broderick, Andrew L. Carter Jr., Jessica Clarke, John Peter Cronan, Paul A. Engelmayer, Katherine Failla, Jesse Furman, Margaret Garnett, Philip M. Halpern, Dale Ho, Kenneth Karas, John Koeltl, Lewis Liman, James Paul Oetken, Edgardo Ramos, Jennifer Rearden, Jennifer Rochon, Nelson S. Roman, Cathy Seibel, Arun Subramanian, Laura Swain, Analisa Torres, Jeannette Vargas, Mary Kay Vyskocil, Gregory Howard Woods Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is one of 94 United States district courts. The Southern District is one of the most influential and active federal district courts in the United States, largely because of its jurisdiction over New York's major financial centers. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in Lower Manhattan at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse.
The Southern District of New York has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The court shares geographic jurisdiction over New York City with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which manages Brooklyn, Queens, and Richmond (Staten Island) counties, along with Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
See also
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Supreme Court cases and courts
- Sotomayor confirmation hearing video
- Reaction to Sonia Sotomayor nomination
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Supreme Court Biography
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- Profile by Oyez
- Profile from the American Bar Association
- Profile from the Supreme Court Historical Society
- United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Questionnaire filled out by Justice Sotomayor
- Appendix to the Committee on the Judiciary Questionnaire filled out by Justice Sotomayor
- GPO.gov, "Full Transcript of Justice Sotomayor's Senate Judiciary Hearing"
- Writings by Justice Sotomayor from the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute
- Selected Opinions by Justice Sotomayor from Justia
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Federal Judicial Center, "Sonia Sotomayor," archived September 4, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Oyez, "Sonia Sotomayor," archived July 2, 2023
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Vote Summary: Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation Sonia Sotomayor, of New York, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court )," archived September 4, 2025
- ↑ Notre Dame News, "A conversation with Justice Sonia Sotomayor," September 3, 2015
- ↑ Georgetown Law, "‘Fearlessly Independent’: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Reflects on the Role of Courts, Rule of Law," April 3, 2025
- ↑ USA Today, "'The People's Justice': After decade on Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor is most outspoken on bench and off," August 8, 2019
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Vote Summary: Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation Sonia Sotomayor, of New York, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court )," archived September 4, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Washington Post, "Sotomayor wins confirmation," August 7, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "Senate panel endorses Sotomayor in 13-6 vote," July 28, 2009
- ↑ New York Times "Souter said to be leaving court in June," April 30, 2009
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Contrasts with court transcend ethnicity," August 7, 2009
- ↑ CNN, "Senate confirms Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court," August 6, 2009
- ↑ Time, "Sonia Sotomayor: A justice like no other," May 28, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "G.O.P., its eyes on high court, blocks a judge," June 13, 1998
- ↑ New York Times, "After delay, Senate approves judge for court in New York," October 3, 1998
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees: 105th Congress (1997-1998)," accessed September 8, 2025
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 New York Times, "Woman in the news - Sotomayor, a trailblazer and a dreamer," May 27, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "4 women delayed in rise to the bench," July 14, 1992
- ↑ New York Times, "Update; a small whittling down of federal bench vacancies," August 16, 1992
- ↑ Dissenting Justice, "Hatchet job: Jeffrey Rosen's utterly bankrupt analysis of Judge Sonia Sotomayor," May 4, 2009
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Time, "Sonia Sotomayor: A justice like no other," May 28, 2009 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "Time Nomination" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>
tag; name "Time Nomination" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ New York Times, "In Puerto Rico, Supreme Court pick with island roots becomes a superstar," May 29, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "A breakthrough judge: what she always wanted," September 25, 1992
- ↑ Politico, "Princeton University holds the key to understanding Sonia Sotomayor," May 29, 2009
- ↑ The Daily Princetonian, "Latin student groups assail university hiring performance," April 22, 1974
- ↑ Princeton University, "Princeton alumna, trustee nominated to Supreme Court," May 26, 2009
- ↑ Preface to Sonia Sotomayor's Princeton University Senior Thesis: "The Impact of the Life of Luis Muñoz Marin on the Political and Economic History of Puerto Rico, 1930-1975."
- ↑ Yale Law Journal, Sonia Sotomayor's note," May 27, 2009
- ↑ Yale Law Journal, "Sonia Sotomayor's Yale Law Journal note 'Statehood and the Equal Footing Doctrine: The Case for Puerto Rican Seabed Rights,'" April 1979
- ↑ Cardinal Spellman High School, "Spellman grad U.S. Supreme Court nominee"
- ↑ Boston.com, "Sotomayor would be sixth Catholic justice," May 26, 2009, archived January 17, 2013
- ↑ Adherents.com, "Religious affiliation of the U.S. Supreme Court"
- ↑ USA Today, "'The People's Justice': After decade on Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor is most outspoken on bench and off," August 8, 2019
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 SCOTUSblog, "STAT PACK for the Supreme Court’s 2021-22 term," July 1, 2022
- ↑ SCOTUSBlog.com, "Stat Pack archive," accessed April 22, 2016
- ↑ SCOTUSBlog, "Final Stat Pack for October Term 2016 and key takeaways," accessed April 16, 2018
- ↑ SCOTUSBlog, "Final Stat Pack for October Term 2017 and key takeaways," accessed October 4, 2018
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Empirical SCOTUS, "2023 Stat Review," July 1, 2024
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 Empirical SCOTUS, "Another One Bites the Dust: End of 2022/2023 Supreme Court Term Statistics," November 16, 2023
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "STAT PACK for the Supreme Court’s 2021-22 term," July 2, 2021
- ↑ Due to a change in the 2020 stat pack format, the agreement rate uses the rate of agreement in judgment.
- ↑ Due to a change in the 2021 stat pack format, the agreement rate uses the rate of agreement in judgment.
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "2020-21 Stat pack: Frequency in the majority," July 2, 2021
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Frequency in the Majority," accessed September 21, 2020
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "OT18 Frequency in the Majority," accessed July 3, 2019
- ↑ The Supreme Court Database, "Analysis," accessed June 11, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Cruz v. Arizona, decided February 22, 2023
- ↑ 48.00 48.01 48.02 48.03 48.04 48.05 48.06 48.07 48.08 48.09 48.10 48.11 48.12 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 U.S. Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, decided June 24, 2022
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "SALINAS v. UNITED STATES RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD: Slip opinion," decided February 3, 2021
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Herrera v. Wyoming, decided May 20, 2019
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 U.S. Supreme Court, Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, decided April 22, 2014
- ↑ Time, "Where Sonia Sotomayor really stands on race," June 11, 2009Scroll to page 2
- ↑ U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Ricci v. DeStefano, decided June 9, 2008
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 New York Times, "Selected cases of Judge Sonia Sotomayor," accessed September 17, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "NYT Selected Cases" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>
tag; name "NYT Selected Cases" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Time, "How the Republicans will go after Sonia Sotomayor," July 13, 2009
- ↑ FindLaw, "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Equal Employment Opportunity," archived January 2, 2013
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "Argument recap: Ricci v. DeStefano," April 24, 2009
- ↑ Legal Information Institute Bulletin, "Ricci v. DeStefano," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Christian Science Monitor, "U.S. Supreme Court takes up 'reverse discrimination' case," January 9, 2009
- ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Ricci v. DeStefano, decided June 29, 2009
- ↑ U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Riverkeeper Inc. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, decided January 25, 2007
- ↑ U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Riverkeeper Inc. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, decided January 25, 2007
- ↑ Open Jurist, "475 F. 3d 83 - Riverkeeper Inc Llc Llc v. United States Environmental Protection Agency," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, Inc., decided April 1, 2009
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 The George W. Bush White House, "MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT," January 22, 2001
- ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Center for Reproductive Law and Policy v. Bush, decided September 13, 2002
- ↑ Center For Reproductive Rights, "Center for Reproductive Law & Policy v. Bush: Background on Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s 2002 Opinion," accessed July 3, 2024
- ↑ OpenJurist, "Center for Reproductive Law and Policy v. Bush"
- ↑ Washington Post, "Abortion rights backers get reassurances on nominee," May 29, 2009
- ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, Malesko v. Correctional Services Corporation, decided October 6, 2000
- ↑ New York Times, "Sotomayor's notable court opinions and articles," July 10, 2009
- ↑ Open Jurist, "John Malesko v. Correctional Services Corporation," accessed September 15, 2025
- ↑ Southern District of New York, Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publishing Group, decided February 27, 1997
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Tasini v. New York Times Co., decided August 13, 1997
- ↑ 76.0 76.1 CNN, "Sotomayor's resume, record on notable cases," May 26, 2009
- ↑ OpenJurist.com, "New York Times Company Inc. v. Jonathan Tasini," archived January 13, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, New York Times Co., Inc. v. Tasini et al., decided June 25, 2001
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Silverman v. Major League Baseball Player Relations Committee, Inc., decided April 3, 1995
- ↑ New York Times, "Sotomayor's baseball ruling lingers, 14 years later," May 26, 2009
- ↑ Open Jurist, "Silverman v. Major League Baseball Player Relations Committee Inc.," archived June 13, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "Sotomayor, baseball's savior, may be possibility for high court," May 14, 2009
- ↑ New York Times, "BASEBALL: Woman in the news; strike-zone arbitrator -- Sonia Sotomayor," April 1, 1995
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, "Dow Jones v. U.S. Department of Justice: OPINION AND ORDER," decided January 5, 1995
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Dow Jones v. U.S. Department of Justice, decided November 29, 1995
- ↑ Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, "A summary of media related decisions by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Department of Justice, "FOIA update: significant new decisions (1995)," January 1, 1995
- ↑ First Amendment Center, "Sotomayor on the First Amendment," May 28, 2009, archived on April 23, 2010
- ↑ The New York Times, "On Language' Potus and Flotus," October 12, 1997
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 SupremeCourt.gov, "A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court," accessed April 20, 2015
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by David Souter |
Supreme Court of the United States 2009-Present |
Succeeded by - |
Preceded by John Daniel Mahoney |
United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit 1998-2009 |
Succeeded by Raymond Lohier |
Preceded by John Walker |
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1992-1998 |
Succeeded by Victor Marrero |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Active judges |
Chief Judge: Debra Livingston • Joseph Bianco • Richard Sullivan (New York) • Maria Araujo Kahn • Raymond Lohier • Alison J. Nathan • Beth Robinson • Sarah A.L. Merriam • Michael Park • Steven Menashi • William Nardini • Eunice Lee • Myrna Pérez | ||
Senior judges |
Denny Chin • Gerard Lynch • Pierre Leval • Dennis Jacobs • Jon Newman • Amalya Kearse • John Walker (New York) • Chester Straub • Guido Calabresi • Jose Cabranes • Robert Sack • Barrington Parker • Reena Raggi • Richard Wesley • Susan L. Carney (Second Circuit) • | ||
Former judges | Christopher Droney • Julian William Mack • Frank Altimari • Samuel Blatchford • Alexander Smith Johnson • Nathaniel Shipman • William James Wallace • Lewis Bartholomew Woodruff • Sonia Sotomayor • Wilfred Feinberg • Ralph Winter • Roger Miner • Rosemary Pooler • Robert Katzmann • Peter Hall (Federal judge) • John Mahoney (Second Circuit) • George Pratt • Richard Cardamone • Lawrence Pierce • Thomas Meskill • William Mulligan • James Oakes • William Timbers • Fred Parker • Alfred Conkling Coxe • Emile Henry Lacombe • William Kneeland Townsend • Charles Merrill Hough • Walter Chadwick Noyes • Henry Galbraith Ward • John Harlan II • Learned Hand • Martin Augustine Knapp • Julius Marshuetz Mayer • Augustus Noble Hand • Martin Thomas Manton • Henry Wade Rogers • Harrie Brigham Chase • Thomas Walter Swan • Carroll Hincks • Charles Edward Clark • John Joseph Smith (United States District Court for the District of Connecticut judge) • Robert Palmer Anderson • Robert Porter Patterson, Sr. • Murray Gurfein • Irving Kaufman • Walter Mansfield • Harold Medina • Thurgood Marshall • Jerome Frank • Henry Friendly • Paul Hays • Joseph Lumbard • Leonard Moore • Ellsworth Van Graafeiland • Sterry Waterman • | ||
Former Chief judges |
Wilfred Feinberg • Jon Newman • Ralph Winter • John Walker (New York) • Robert Katzmann • Thomas Meskill • James Oakes • Learned Hand • Harrie Brigham Chase • Thomas Walter Swan • Charles Edward Clark • Irving Kaufman • Henry Friendly • Joseph Lumbard • |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Active judges |
Chief Judge: Laura Swain • Kenneth Karas • John Koeltl • Cathy Seibel • Andrew L. Carter, Jr. • Nelson S. Roman • Analisa Torres • J. Paul Oetken • Paul A. Engelmayer • Edgardo Ramos • Jesse Furman • Ronnie Abrams • Katherine Failla • Vernon Broderick • Gregory Howard Woods • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Lewis Liman • Philip Halpern • John Cronan (New York) • Jennifer Rearden • Dale Ho • Jessica Clarke • Jennifer Rochon • Arun Subramanian • Margaret Garnett • Jeannette Vargas | ||
Senior judges |
Victor Marrero • Kimba Wood • Richard Berman • Naomi Buchwald • Kevin Castel • Denise Cote • Paul Crotty • George Daniels • Paul Gardephe • Charles Haight • Alvin Hellerstein • Lewis Kaplan • John Keenan (New York) • Colleen McMahon • Loretta Preska • Jed Rakoff • Louis Stanton • Sidney Stein • Vincent L. Briccetti • Lorna Schofield • Valerie Caproni • | ||
Magistrate judges | Kevin Fox • Debra Freeman • Gabriel Gorenstein • Paul Davison • James L. Cott • Sarah Netburn • Judith C. McCarthy • Barbara Moses • Katharine Parker • Stewart Aaron • Robert Lehrburger • Ona Wang • Sarah Cave • Andrew Krause • Jennifer Willis • Kim Berg • | ||
Former Article III judges |
Michael Mukasey • Morris Lasker • Harold Baer • Deborah Batts • Robert Carter (New York) • Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum • Denny Chin • William Conner • Thomas Griesa • Richard Holwell • Barbara Jones • Shirley Kram • Peter Leisure • Gerard Lynch • Lawrence McKenna • Richard Owen • Robert Patterson (New York) • William Pauley • Stephen Robinson (New York) • Shira Scheindlin • John Sprizzo • Richard Sullivan (New York) • Robert Sweet • William Peter Van Ness • Samuel Rossiter Betts • Samuel Blatchford • Sonia Sotomayor • William Gardner Choate • Pierre Leval • Wilfred Feinberg • John Walker (New York) • Barrington Parker • Lawrence Pierce • Addison Brown • George Bethune Adams • George Chandler Holt • Charles Merrill Hough • Learned Hand • Julius Marshuetz Mayer • Augustus Noble Hand • John Clark Knox • Martin Thomas Manton • William Bondy • Henry Warren Goddard • Francis Asbury Winslow • Frank Joseph Coleman • Thomas Day Thacher • Alfred Conkling Coxe, Jr. • John Munro Woolsey • George Murray Hulbert • John William Clancy • Vincent Leibell (New York judge) • Samuel Mandelbaum • Edward Conger • Robert Porter Patterson, Sr. • Kevin Duffy • Gerard Goettel • Charles Metzner • Arnold Bauman • Alexander Bicks • Dudley Bonsal • Charles Brieant • John Bright • Vincent Broderick • Frederick Bryan • Francis Caffey • John Cannella • Richard Casey • John Cashin • Kenneth Conboy • Irving Cooper • Thomas Croake • Richard Daronco • Archie Dawson • Edward Dimock • David Edelstein • Marvin Frankel • Louis Freeh • Lee Gagliardi • Murray Gurfein • William Herlands • Irving Kaufman • Samuel Kaufman • Percy Knapp • Richard Levet • Mary Lowe • Lloyd MacMahon • Walter Mansfield • John McGohey • Edward McLean • Harold Medina • Constance Motley • Gregory Noonan • Edmund Palmieri • Milton Pollack • Simon Rifkind • Sylvester Ryan • Allen Schwartz • Abraham Sofaer • Charles Stewart • Sidney Sugarman • Charles Tenney • Harold Tyler • Lawrence Walsh (New York judge) • Robert Ward • Edward Weinfeld • Henry Werker • Inzer Wyatt • John S. Martin (New York) • Thomas Francis Murphy (New York) • Alison J. Nathan • Katherine Forrest • | ||
Former Chief judges |
Kimba Wood • Colleen McMahon • Loretta Preska • Lisa Smith (New York) • John Clark Knox • William Bondy • John William Clancy • Charles Brieant • David Edelstein • Lloyd MacMahon • Constance Motley • Sylvester Ryan • Sidney Sugarman • |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Nominated |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
1989 |
Barksdale • Bonner • Buckwalter • Cyr • Fernandez • Garbis • Harmon • Lee • Lindberg • Lodge • Nelson • Nottingham • Plager • Rosen • Rymer • Smith • Spatt • Thomas • VanBebber • J. Walker • V. Walker • Wiener • Wright | ||
1990 |
Alito • Amon • Birch • Boudin • Cleland • Clevenger • Dubina • Hamilton • Henderson • Hood • Hornby • Jones • Kent • Levi • Loken • Lourie • Martin • McBryde • McClure • McKenna • McLaughlin • McNamee • Moreno • Mullen • Nelson • Nickerson • Niemeyer • Norton • Parker • Pickering • Rader • Rainey • Randolph • Shanstrom • Shedd • Shubb • Singleton • Skretny • Souter • Sparr • Stahl • Stamp • Suhrheinrich • Taylor • Vollmer • Ware • Wilson | ||
1991 |
Albritton • Andersen • Armstrong • Arnold • Bartle • Bassler • Batchelder • Beckwith • Belot • Benson • Blackburn • Bramlette • Brody • Brody • Burrell • Carnes • Caulfield • Cauthron • Clement • Collier • Conway • Cooper • Dalzell • DeMent • DeMoss • Doherty • Echols • Edmunds • Faber • Freeh • Gaitan • Garza • Graham • Haik • Hamilton • Hansen • Hendren • Herlong • Highsmith • Hogan • Huff • Hurley • Irenas • Johnson • Joyner • Kelly • Kleinfeld • Legg • Leonard • Lewis • Longstaff • Lungstrum • Luttig • Matia • McCalla • McDade • McKeague • McKelvie • Means • Merryday • Moore • Morgan • Nielsen • Nimmons • Osteen Sr. • Padova • Payne • Reinhard • Robinson • Robreno • Roll • Roth • Schlesinger • Scullin • Siler • Solis • Sotomayor • Sparks • Stohr • Thomas • Traxler • Trimble • Ungaro • Van Sickle • Wanger • Werlein • Whyte • Yohn | ||
1992 |
Baird • Barbadoro • Black • Boudin • Carnes • Covello • DiClerico • Gilbert • Gonzalez • Gorton • Hansen • Heyburn • Jackson • Jacobs • Keeley • Kendall • Kopf • Kyle • Lewis • McAuliffe • McLaughlin • Melloy • Preska • Quist • Randa • Rosenthal • Rovner • Schall • Sedwick • Simandle • Stahl • Vratil • Williams |