2023 USSYP Yearbook - Flipbook - Page 17
(ABOVE) Justice Sotomayor with New York delegates Matthew Stevens and Isabella Klink
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT
Sonia Sotomayor
Never Give Up Your Chance to Keep Fighting for Change
S
onia Sotomayor transformed many delegates’ notions of meeting an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Her
compassion and warmth instantly put the students at ease in the vaunted Supreme Courtroom as she moved from aisle to
aisle, greeting them personally and inquiring about their home states and towns. Her life’s trajectory, from a Bronx, New York,
housing project raised by a single mother to attending Princeton University, informed her empathy for others, her understanding of
injustice, and her desire to serve through the law. “The law seemed like the perfect way to serve, because it is the structure of how
people relate to each other,” she noted, emphasizing the personal fulfillment gained by a life of service. She advised the students
to never be afraid to ask questions or think that doing so is a sign of weakness, telling them to ask successful people for help and
guidance and remember, “There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity.” The importance of maintaining civility at the
Court and in life is paramount, she offered, saying “We must listen to each other’s perspectives without labeling anyone – accept
disagreement while seeing the goodness in each other.” When asked what gives her hope, the first Hispanic and third woman to
serve on the High Court cited awareness, fighting for what is right and the delegates themselves: “Don’t let others rule you. Don’t be
a bystander in life. I know that someday one of you or someone like you will replace me, and that is enough for me.”
UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM 2023 | 15
