Sonia Sotomayor - Academy of Achievement

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US" prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.achievement.org:80/achiever/sonia-sotomayor","20190111075523","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1547193323"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="57x57" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="72x72" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="60x60" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" sizes="96x96"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-128.png" sizes="128x128"/> <meta name="application-name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#000000"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-144x144.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square70x70logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-70x70.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square150x150logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-150x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-wide310x150logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square310x310logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x310.png"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523cs_/https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro:400,600,400italic,600italic,700,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <title>Sonia Sotomayor - Academy of Achievement</title>  <meta name="description" content="When President Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, many Americans welcomed the appointment as an historic milestone; she is the first Hispanic American to serve on the high court. Her colleagues on the federal bench praised her as "a role model of aspiration, discipline… and integrity." Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the Bronx. At age eight, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, requiring daily insulin injections. Her father died the following year, leaving her mother to raise her and her brother alone. Young Sonia found solace in reading, and at age ten, decided that she would be an attorney. Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and earned her law degree at Yale Law School. As an assistant district attorney in New York City, she earned a reputation as a fearless prosecutor of violent crimes. She was still in her 30s when President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York. Of the 450 cases she heard, one of her most famous rulings ended the major league baseball strike, just in time for opening day. Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Clinton, she heard more than 3,000 cases and wrote roughly 380 opinions. Today, she is the only sitting Justice with experience as a trial judge, and she brings more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any appointee in 100 years."/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Sonia Sotomayor - Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:description" content="When President Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, many Americans welcomed the appointment as an historic milestone; she is the first Hispanic American to serve on the high court. Her colleagues on the federal bench praised her as "a role model of aspiration, discipline… and integrity." Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the Bronx. At age eight, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, requiring daily insulin injections. Her father died the following year, leaving her mother to raise her and her brother alone. Young Sonia found solace in reading, and at age ten, decided that she would be an attorney. Sotomayor graduated <em>summa cum laude</em> from Princeton University and earned her law degree at Yale Law School. As an assistant district attorney in New York City, she earned a reputation as a fearless prosecutor of violent crimes. She was still in her 30s when President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York. Of the 450 cases she heard, one of her most famous rulings ended the major league baseball strike, just in time for opening day. Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Clinton, she heard more than 3,000 cases and wrote roughly 380 opinions. Today, she is the only sitting Justice with experience as a trial judge, and she brings more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any appointee in 100 years."/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sotomayor3-Feature-Image-2800x1120-3.jpg"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="2800"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1120"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="When President Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, many Americans welcomed the appointment as an historic milestone; she is the first Hispanic American to serve on the high court. Her colleagues on the federal bench praised her as "a role model of aspiration, discipline… and integrity." Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the Bronx. At age eight, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, requiring daily insulin injections. Her father died the following year, leaving her mother to raise her and her brother alone. Young Sonia found solace in reading, and at age ten, decided that she would be an attorney. Sotomayor graduated <em>summa cum laude</em> from Princeton University and earned her law degree at Yale Law School. As an assistant district attorney in New York City, she earned a reputation as a fearless prosecutor of violent crimes. She was still in her 30s when President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York. Of the 450 cases she heard, one of her most famous rulings ended the major league baseball strike, just in time for opening day. Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Clinton, she heard more than 3,000 cases and wrote roughly 380 opinions. Today, she is the only sitting Justice with experience as a trial judge, and she brings more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any appointee in 100 years."/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Sonia Sotomayor - Academy of Achievement"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sotomayor3-Feature-Image-2800x1120-3.jpg"/> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190111075523\/http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebSite","@id":"#website","url":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190111075523\/http:\/\/www.achievement.org\/","name":"Academy of Achievement","alternateName":"A museum of living history","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190111075523\/http:\/\/www.achievement.org\/search\/{search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}</script> <script 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ratio-container__text container"> <div class="feature-area__text-inner text-white"> <h2 class="serif-8 feature-area__text-subhead back"><a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever">All achievers</a></h2> <h1 class="serif-1 entry-title feature-area__text-headline">Sonia Sotomayor</h1> <h5 class="sans-6 feature-area__blurb">Justice, Supreme Court of the United States</h5> </div> </figcaption> </div> </div> </figure> </header> </div>  <nav class="in-page-nav row fixedsticky"> <ul class="nav text-xs-center clearfix" role="tablist"> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link active" data-toggle="tab" href="#biography" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Biography">Biography</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#profile" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Profile">Profile</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#interview" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Interview">Interview</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#gallery" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Gallery">Gallery</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <article class="post-35320 achiever type-achiever status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry careers-attorney careers-judge"> <div class="entry-content container clearfix">  <div class="tab-content"> <div class="tab-pane fade in active" id="biography" role="tabpanel"> <section class="achiever--biography"> <div class="banner clearfix"> <div class="banner--single clearfix"> <div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2"> <div class="banner__image__container"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/what-it-takes/id1025864075?mt=2" target="_blank"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <img class="lazyload banner__image" data-src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WhatItTakes_sotomayor-3-27_256-190x190.jpg" alt=""/> </figure> </a> </div> <div class="banner__text__container"> <h3 class="serif-3 banner__headline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/what-it-takes/id1025864075?mt=2" target="_blank"> Listen to this achiever on <i>What It Takes</i> </a> </h3> <p class="sans-6 banner__text m-b-0"><i>What It Takes</i> is an audio podcast on iTunes produced by the American Academy of Achievement featuring intimate, revealing conversations with influential leaders in the diverse fields of endeavor: music, science and exploration, sports, film, technology, literature, the military and social justice.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <header class="editorial-article__header col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-xs-center"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> <h3 class="serif-3 quote-marks">Through reading, I escaped the bad parts of my life in the South Bronx. And, through books, I got to travel the world and the universe. It, to me, was a passport out of my childhood and it remains a way — through the power of words — to change the world.</h3> </header> </div> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar clearfix"> <h2 class="serif-3 p-b-1">The Power of Words</h2> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> June 25, 1954 </dd> </div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><figure id="attachment_35357" style="width: 1176px" class="wp-caption alignright"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35357 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35357 lazyload" alt="" width="1176" height="1099" data-sizes="(max-width: 1176px) 100vw, 1176px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents.jpg 1176w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents-380x355.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents-760x710.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">1961: Sonia Sotomayor and her younger brother, Juan Jr., with their parents, Juan and Celina, in the family’s Bronxdale Homes apartment, a public housing project.</figcaption></figure><p>Sonia Maria Sotomayor was born in New York City in the borough of the Bronx, where she spent her formative years. Her parents, Juan and Celina, were both born in Puerto Rico. Juan was a factory worker, Celina a nurse. When Sonia was three, shortly after the birth of her brother, Juan, the family moved from a small apartment in the South Bronx to the Bronxdale Homes, a public housing project. From kindergarten through eighth grade, Sonia Sotomayor attended the Blessed Sacrament Parish School. Life at home was difficult, as strained finances and friction between her parents were aggravated by her father’s worsening alcoholism. Little Sonia found refuge in books and in the home of a loving grandmother who lived nearby. At age seven, Sonia was diagnosed with diabetes. Living with this disease taught her self-reliance; she soon learned to sterilize her own needles and inject herself with insulin.</p> <figure id="attachment_36474" style="width: 2054px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-36474 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Youth_7-combined-1.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-36474 size-full lazyload" width="2054" height="895" data-sizes="(max-width: 2054px) 100vw, 2054px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Youth_7-combined-1.jpg 2054w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Youth_7-combined-1-380x166.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Youth_7-combined-1-760x331.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Youth_7-combined-1.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Sonia Sotomayor and her younger brother, Juan Jr., at Ellis Island; Sonia at home with her parents, Celina and Juan Sotomayor; Sonia in her Blessed Sacrament Parish elementary school uniform. Sotomayor’s parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. Juan worked in a factory and Celina as a nurse at a methadone clinic. Sotomayor’s alcoholic father died when she was 9, leaving her mother to raise her and Juan Jr. on her own.</figcaption></figure><p>Conditions in the housing project deteriorated in the 1960s. Crime and gang activity increased in the neighborhood, and drug users discarded their paraphernalia in the hallways and stairwells. When Sonia was nine, her father died of a heart attack, an end hastened by his excessive drinking. The benefit from her father’s life insurance policy enabled Sonia, her mother, and her brother, Juan, to move from the projects to Co-op City, a massive cooperative apartment complex in the Northeast Bronx. After her father’s death, Sonia threw herself into her studies and began to excel academically. Childhood reading of the <em>Nancy Drew</em> mysteries piqued her interest in crime and detection, but the <em>Perry Mason</em> television show, with its dramatic courtroom scenes, inspired her to become an attorney. By age ten, she says, her heart was set on going to college and becoming an attorney.</p> <figure id="attachment_36469" style="width: 1656px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-36469 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sotomayor-middleschool.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-36469 size-full lazyload" width="1656" height="765" data-sizes="(max-width: 1656px) 100vw, 1656px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sotomayor-middleschool.jpg 1656w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sotomayor-middleschool-380x176.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sotomayor-middleschool-760x351.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/sotomayor-middleschool.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Sonia Sotomayor’s graduation from middle school in the Bronx. When her father died in 1963, her mother, Celina, worked hard to raise her and her younger brother as a single parent. “She placed what Sotomayor would later call an ‘almost fanatical emphasis’ on a higher education, pushing the children to become fluent in English and making sacrifices to purchase a set of encyclopedias that would give them proper research materials for school.”</figcaption></figure><p>Sonia was valedictorian of her class at Blessed Sacrament, and at Cardinal Spellman High School, where she was an enthusiastic member of the debate team. When a debate team friend who was a year older won a scholarship to Princeton University, he suggested that Sonia apply as well, and to her surprise she was accepted and awarded a full scholarship.</p> <figure id="attachment_36478" style="width: 2100px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-36478 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-plus-graduation-from-Yale.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-36478 size-full lazyload" width="2100" height="900" data-sizes="(max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-plus-graduation-from-Yale.jpg 2100w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-plus-graduation-from-Yale-380x163.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-plus-graduation-from-Yale-760x326.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-plus-graduation-from-Yale.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Sotomayor and friends at Princeton; Sotomayor graduates from Yale in 1979. In 1972, Sotomayor graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx where she was valedictorian of her class.  She went on to graduate <em>summa cum laude</em> from Princeton University in 1976, where she was awarded the Pyne Prize, which is the highest academic award given to undergraduates. That same year, Sotomayor entered Yale Law School, where she was an editor for the Yale Law Journal. She received her J.D. in 1979, passed the bar in 1980, and immediately began work as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, serving as a trial lawyer under District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.</figcaption></figure><p>An Ivy League university in an idyllic small-town setting was an abrupt change for a girl from the Bronx. The university had only recently begun to admit female students, and as a Latina she was doubly exceptional in the student body. The curriculum was challenging, and Sonia Sotomayor soon learned that she would need to improve her writing skills to succeed. She boned up on grammar, read widely over her vacations and worked closely with her thesis advisor. The extra work paid off; she graduated <em>summa cum laude</em> and won the University’s Moses Taylor Pyne Prize, the highest honor Princeton awards its undergraduates. She was offered a scholarship to Yale Law School. In the summer between graduating from Princeton and entering Yale Law School, Sotomayor married her high school boyfriend, Kevin Noonan.</p> <figure id="attachment_36481" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-36481 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney%E2%80%99s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge..jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-36481 lazyload" alt="" width="1200" height="743" data-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge..jpg 1200w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge.-380x235.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge.-760x471.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge..jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">After passing the bar, Sotomayor joined the office of New York’s District Attorney. As an assistant district attorney, she prosecuted dozens of cases involving robbery, assault, murder, police brutality and child pornography.</figcaption></figure><p>At Yale, Sotomayor was an editor of the <em>Yale Law Journal</em> and the managing editor of the law school’s journal of international law. At both Princeton and Yale Law School she spoke out for the rights of Latino students, and urged the universities to hire more Latino faculty members. When she graduated from Yale in 1979, she joined the office of New York’s District Attorney. As an assistant district attorney she spent nearly every work day of the next five years in the courtroom, prosecuting dozens of cases of murder, robbery, child abuse, drug trafficking, police misconduct and fraud.</p> <figure id="attachment_35391" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35391 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35391 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f.jpg 2280w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">May 26, 2009: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden escort Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the East Room of the White House, where the president will introduce her as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter. In her career, Sotomayor worked at nearly every level of the judicial system. Following a more than four-year stint as a prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and after that working as a private attorney for the firm Pavia & Harcourt, Sotomayor served on the boards of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. In 1991, she was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to serve as U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York City. In 1997, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton for the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2009, at the age of 54, Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic to serve on the high court. She would also be the third female named to the Supreme Court. (White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)</figcaption></figure><p>Although her boss, longtime District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, praised her as a “fearless and effective prosecutor,” Sotomayor eventually found the endless procession of violence and crime demoralizing. The long hours in court and at the D.A.’s office had taken a toll on her marriage as well. In 1983, she and Kevin Noonan, also an attorney, ended their marriage on amicable terms. The following year, Sotomayor left the D.A.’s office to pursue private practice.</p> <figure id="attachment_35402" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35402 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35402 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1556" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red.jpg 2280w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red-380x259.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red-760x519.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">July 16, 2009: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor takes her seat for her fourth and final day of testimony during her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. (Reuters/J. Reed)</figcaption></figure><p>In 1984, she joined the law firm of Pavia & Harcourt as an associate. Her extensive courtroom experience had prepared her well to litigate civil cases; in her years with the firm she acquired special expertise in trademark and international trade cases. Many of her clients were foreign companies seeking to protect their trademarks from domestic counterfeiters. Sotomayor often accompanied the police in their raids on sellers of counterfeit merchandise, on one occasion pursuing a suspect on a motorcycle.</p> <p>Within four years, Sotomayor had become a partner of the firm. During these years she also served on the boards of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the New York City Campaign Finance Board.</p> <figure id="attachment_35410" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35410 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35410 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1527" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice.jpg 2280w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice-380x255.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice-760x509.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">August 8, 2009: Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. administers the Constitutional Oath to Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the Justices’ Conference Room. Her mother, Mrs. Celina Sotomayor, holds the family Bible.  (Steve Petteway)</figcaption></figure><p>One of her partners, David Botwinik, urged her to apply for an appointment as a federal judge. At 36, Sotomayor believed she was too young to be considered seriously for a judicial appointment. Botwinik kept pushing her and she finally applied. After an interview with New York’s U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, he recommended her to President George H. W. Bush, who appointed her to serve as judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.</p> <p>Over the next six years, she presided over roughly 450 cases. Among other matters, she was asked to rule on the dispute between Major League Baseball and the players’ union, a conflict that had caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. After a strike lasting 232 days, Sotomayor ruled in the players’ favor, ending the strike an hour before the 1995 season was about to begin. Her decision brought her national attention as “the judge who saved baseball.”</p> <figure id="attachment_19271" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-19271 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SCJustices.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-19271 size-full lazyload" width="2280" height="1502" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SCJustices.jpg 2280w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SCJustices-380x250.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SCJustices-760x501.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SCJustices.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The Current Court. Seated left to right: Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Antonin Scalia (deceased), Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Standing left to right: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Justice Elena Kagan. (Credit: Steve Petteway)</figcaption></figure><p>In 1997, President Bill Clinton nominated Sotomayor for the U.S Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Her nomination was sharply debated in the United States Senate, but in 1998, a bipartisan majority confirmed her appointment. In her 11 years as an appeals court judge, Sotomayor heard more than 3,000 cases, and wrote nearly 400 opinions.   While serving as a federal judge, she lectured in law at Columbia Law School and was an adjunct professor at New York University Law School.</p> <figure id="attachment_5172" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-5172 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Reynolds_0055_wordpress.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-5172 lazyload" alt="Justice Sonia Sotomayor welcomes Reynolds Foundation Fellows to the opening session of the 2010 Summit." width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Reynolds_0055_wordpress.jpg 2280w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Reynolds_0055_wordpress-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Reynolds_0055_wordpress-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Reynolds_0055_wordpress.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Justice Sonia Sotomayor welcomes Catherine B. Reynolds Fellows to the Supreme Court during the 2010 Summit.</figcaption></figure><p>Shortly after his inauguration, President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court of the United States, to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice David Souter. After a closely watched hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sotomayor’s appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate by a vote of 68 to 31. She was the third woman, and the first person of Latin American descent to join the Court in its 220-year history. At the time of her appointment, she was the only Justice on the Court with experience as a trial judge, and had more federal judicial experience than any Justice in the previous 100 years.</p> <figure id="attachment_3631" style="width: 1680px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-3631 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/551.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-3631 lazyload" alt="" width="1680" height="1315" data-sizes="(max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/551.jpg 1680w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/551-380x297.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/551-760x595.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/551.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Academy members Justices Anthony Kennedy and Ruth Ginsburg present the Gold Medal of the Academy of Achievement to Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the 2012 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure><p>Journalists who cover the Court typically group her with the “liberal bloc” of Justices, voting to allow gay marriage and uphold the Affordable Care Act, but she has pursued an independent course, placing the principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights ahead of any partisan consideration. As she had on the Court of Appeals, she continued to earn a reputation for tough and detailed questioning of attorneys presenting oral argument to the Court.</p> <figure id="attachment_35389" style="width: 736px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35389 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35389 lazyload" alt="" width="736" height="1200" data-sizes="(max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor.jpg 736w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor-233x380.jpg 233w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor-466x760.jpg 466w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2013: The book <em>My Beloved World</em> is a memoir written by Sonia Sotomayor about her childhood, education, and life through 1992. “In recounting her early life, Sotomayor describes growing up in a housing project in the Bronx to Puerto Rican emigrants. Her father was an alcoholic who died when she was nine, and she was subsequently cared for in large part by her grandmother. She tells of developing diabetes at the age of seven and learning to give herself her insulin injections due to the unreliability of her parents. Despite numerous odds, she relates her experiences in becoming valedictorian of her high school class, attending Princeton and then Yale Law School, working for the New York County District Attorney, and finally being appointed as a federal judge in New York.”</figcaption></figure><p>In 2013, her autobiography, <em>My Beloved World</em>, received excellent reviews and became a bestseller in both English and Spanish-language editions. The Bronxdale Homes where she lived as a child have been renamed in her honor, as has a multi-building public school complex in Los Angeles. She remains an inspiration to all young Americans who feel marginalized or excluded in American society. She continues to speak out in favor of diversity in higher education, as in a 2017 speech at the University of Michigan, where she reaffirmed her belief that “until we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.”</p></body></html> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="profile" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <header class="editorial-article__header"> <figure class="text-xs-center"> <img class="inductee-badge" src="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/inducted-badge@2x.png" alt="Inducted Badge" width="120" height="120"/> <figcaption class="serif-3 text-brand-primary"> Inducted in 2012 </figcaption> </figure> </header> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <dl class="clearfix m-b-0"> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Career</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> <div><a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/#filter=.attorney">Attorney</a></div> <div><a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/#filter=.judge">Judge</a></div> </dd> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> June 25, 1954 </dd> </div> </dl> </aside> <article class="col-md-8 editorial-article clearfix"> <p>When President Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, many Americans welcomed the appointment as an historic milestone; she is the first Hispanic American to serve on the high court. Her colleagues on the federal bench praised her as “a role model of aspiration, discipline… and integrity.”</p> <p>Born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor grew up in a housing project in the Bronx. At age eight, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, requiring daily insulin injections. Her father died the following year, leaving her mother to raise her and her brother alone. Young Sonia found solace in reading, and at age ten, decided that she would be an attorney. Sotomayor graduated <em>summa cum laude</em> from Princeton University and earned her law degree at Yale Law School.</p> <p>As an assistant district attorney in New York City, she earned a reputation as a fearless prosecutor of violent crimes. She was still in her 30s when President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York. Of the 450 cases she heard, one of her most famous rulings ended the major league baseball strike, just in time for opening day. Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Clinton, she heard more than 3,000 cases and wrote roughly 380 opinions. Today, she is the only sitting Justice with experience as a trial judge, and she brings more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any appointee in 100 years.</p> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="interview" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <div class="col-md-12 interview-feature-video"> <figure> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/EAemKoE9o-U?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_18_21_15.Still004-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_18_21_15.Still004-760x428.jpg"></div> <div class="video-tag sans-4"> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> <div class="video-tag__text">Watch full interview</div> </div> </div> </figure> </div> <header class="col-md-12 text-xs-center m-b-2"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> </header> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <h2 class="serif-3 achiever--biography-subtitle">The Power of Words</h2> <div class="sans-2">Washington, D.C.</div> <div class="sans-2">December 6, 2016</div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8">   <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><figure id="attachment_35370" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignright"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35370 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35370 lazyload" alt="" width="1200" height="787" data-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280.jpg 1200w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280-380x249.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280-760x498.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">1959: Sotomayor and her mother, Celina, in the Bronx.</figcaption></figure><p><strong>You grew up in the Bronx.  What was the neighborhood like when you were a child?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: For those kids who don’t know what it was, it was the worst neighborhood in the United States at the time and it was the South Bronx in New York City.</p> <p><strong>You’ve said you saw needles everywhere…</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Drug paraphernalia always in the staircase; in fact my mom wouldn’t let us go up or down the staircase because she was afraid of things that could be lying around.</p> <p><strong>And when you were seven, you learned you had diabetes.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: It was something that my mother the nurse tried to avoid understanding. And I finally fainted in church one Sunday morning, and the nuns made my mother send me to a doctor, where they immediately diagnosed the diabetes.</p></body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/L-NUjNw_WDc?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_01_18_16.Still002-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_01_18_16.Still002-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/courage/">Courage</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: When I was first diagnosed, because I left the hospital taking insulin, one shot a day back then. Today it’s many, many more shots than that, but back then it was one shot a day, and I would sterilize the needle in a pan. I had to get up on a chair to be able to reach the top of the stove and light it. It wasn’t an automatic stove like today. I wasn’t in the dinosaur ages, but this was the 1950s and things have changed a lot since then. At any rate, I had to light the stove, put the pot of water with the needles in it, wait until it boiled, it seemed to take forever. And then remove the water and let the works, the insulin works, the injection works cool down before I started to draw the insulin and give myself a shot. It was a process.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><p><strong>This was all in pursuit of having your parents not fight over who was going to give you your shot.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Absolutely.</p> <figure id="attachment_35366" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35366 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35366 lazyload" alt="" width="1200" height="1179" data-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita.jpg 1200w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita-380x373.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita-760x747.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Sotomayor and her grandparents, Gallego and Abuelita. Abuelita, the family matriarch, provided her a safe haven from her parents’ toxic relationship and their frequent fighting. In her memoir, Sotomayor reflects on the meaning of her grandmother’s presence: “Since those years, I have come to believe that in order to thrive, a child must have at least one adult in her life who shows her unconditional love, respect, and confidence. For me it was Abuelita.”</figcaption></figure><p><strong>And getting to spend the weekend with your grandmother, your Abuelita, because she wouldn’t give you a shot.</strong></p></body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/C0T1LsHfYfk?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_25_20_02.Still006-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_25_20_02.Still006-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: My grandmother, she adored me. I willingly admit, and so does every other cousin I have, that I was her favorite granddaughter. I take that with a great deal of pride and absolutely no sense of humility about it. I was her favorite. But I also knew she didn’t have the heart to give me a needle. It would have been emotionally too tough for her. And what would have ended up happening is I wouldn’t have been able to stay over with her because I needed the shot every morning. And so it immediately became clear to me as soon I left the hospital that if I didn’t learn how to do this right away I would miss out on that very precious time with my grandmother, and it was something I simply wouldn’t give up.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>Your mother was gone a lot, and you had a chilly relationship with your dad, who — you’ve said very candidly — was an alcoholic.</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/aLnWS5CZhTc?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_16_12_19.Still011-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_16_12_19.Still011-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: The strange part when you talk about someone who you know loves you… my father adored my brother and I. And in fact in writing my book, the publisher asked me for photographs, and I went back to a childhood photograph that has hung in my mother’s house since I was about three and my brother was one. And I took the photograph out of its frame for the first time, and in the back was a handwritten message by my father, explaining that the photograph had been taken at my brother’s first birthday. And my brother was just… and my father was describing his <em>tesoro</em>, his treasure, his little boy. And then talking about me, and talking about how I lit up his life. And he also spoke about his love for my mother in this, it’s about two, three paragraphs short. And I realized that my judgement that he adored us was true. But his love for us couldn’t stop him from drinking himself to death. Addictions are an affliction on people who can’t find what they need within themselves to put them aside and to seek help to put it aside. Most addictions require intervention, not just by you on your own strength of character, but the intervention of family and friends. Back then I don’t know that my mother knew what she could do to save my father. Thankfully today, there are many, many more programs that people are familiar with.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><figure id="attachment_35351" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35351 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-35351 lazyload" alt="" width="1200" height="1196" data-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" data-srcset="/web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9.jpg 1200w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9-190x190.jpg 190w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9-380x380.jpg 380w, /web/20190111075523im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9-760x757.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">1958: Juan and Celina Sotomayor, parents of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, at home in the South Bronx, New York City.</figcaption></figure><p><strong>So you were nine when your father died. We gather you were unprepared for your mother’s grief because when he was alive they were fighting all the time. </strong><strong>In your book you describe this moment when you finally broke, because your mother was sort of disappearing on you.</strong></p></body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/hTBgZHOctDc?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_27_56_28.Still013-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_27_56_28.Still013-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Mom was depressed, I learned later. She’s very technical now; she says, “I wasn’t depressed, I was sad. I was grieving.” And she explains that she knew that his drinking was causing him physical harm. He had had one heart attack five years before he died. So a second was going to be very likely if he continued drinking, which is what the doctor told him.</p> <p>In fact I’m not sure I relay in my book anymore that the doctor who took care of my father learned that my mother had stopped paying my father’s life insurance. I don’t know how he learned that but in some passing conversation with my mother. And insisted that she do so. Insisted so much that she finally felt compelled to pick up the policy again and continue paying it.</p> <p>It was quite helpful, at least it permitted us to bury him. It wasn’t a huge policy. It was a couple of thousand dollars but in those times it was a lot of money. It’s what helped us move from the projects to Co-op City, which was out of the projects to a private apartment complex in upper, in the upper part of the Bronx.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fr-y0ZAXzHc?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=83" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_40_51_18.Still015-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_40_51_18.Still015-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>But my mother says that she just… you can understand the inevitable, but coming to the reality was a different thing for her. Realizing that he was now dead and how special a time they had had in the beginning of their romance made her grieve deeply. And I called it depression in an unsophisticated way. I think she’s right, she was probably just grieving. But we would come home from school in the afternoon, she would have dinner prepared for us and she would go back into her room and cry all night. And you’re right, about a year later, I let it go on, I let it go on, I’m sounding like I’m some god or something. But my brother and I had been quietly sitting in the house watching television or reading books — books was my favorite pastime. And I’d just had enough one day. She locked herself back in the room, and I started to cry, and I went up to the door and started banging on it. And I was screaming at her, “You’ve got to stop this. You’re dying on us and you’re going to leave us alone. We don’t deserve to be left alone. Please, please stop.” And I finally just ran away from the door when she didn’t open it. And I didn’t know at that moment what my impact was. I actually fell asleep that night crying. But the next morning, my mother woke us up, and she said she doesn’t remember this dress, but it was a black with white polka dot dress. And her hair was finally properly combed. She had for the first time in a year some makeup on, and I knew my mom was back. And that may have been one of the happiest moments of my life.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>What about school? We hear you were sort of a middling student until the nuns started giving out gold stars. How did that come about?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/8nH47cp8qbs?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_32_27_27.Still014-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_32_27_27.Still014-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/preparation/">Preparation</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I wanted my gold stars. It wasn’t actually a nun, it was a teacher in fifth grade who would reward students who had performed well on their assignments with gold stars. And I wanted gold stars. And I realized that to get them I had to figure out how to study. And I did something that has helped me my entire life, and it’s something I still do, which is when I don’t know how to do something now I start reading about it. Back then I would ask people for help. And I have found that if you go to people and ask them for help that it feels like a compliment to them. Because everybody likes feeling good and likes doing something for other people, especially when what they’re going to do is easy for them.</p> <p>And so I went to the smartest student in the class, and I looked at her, she’s still a friend today. This is Donna. And I said, “Donna, please tell me how you study. I don’t know how to study.” And she said to me, “You don’t know how to study?” She found the question odd but sat down and told me how she studied. How she would read the materials, she would underline the important parts of it. She would make sure at the end of every chapter that she understood what she had read before she moved on to the other chapter. How before a test she would read all of the underlined sections to remind her of what she had studied. And so I thought to myself, “Well that seems like something I can do.” And that’s what I started to do, and from a middling student I went to the top of my class, pretty quickly. Donna to this day says that was maybe the worst mistake in her life, because I started doing better than she did.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>So you graduated at the top of your high school class, and then your boyfriend — I think it was your boyfriend — suggests that you should apply to the Ivies, and you had no idea what he was talking about.</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/VGxXIujdZ5E?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_27_56_28.Still013-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_27_56_28.Still013-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/the-american-dream/">The American Dream</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Ken had gotten into Princeton because his math teacher at our high school had suggested to him that he should apply to the Ivy Leagues. He also didn’t know what they were but his teacher told him, he went, and he calls me up one day and says, “Sonia, you have to apply to an Ivy League college.” And my next question was, “What’s that?” He described it as the best colleges in the United States. That was his simple answer. My second question was, “How do I get in?” And he said, “You apply.” Which sounds so simplistic, doesn’t it? And almost unbelievable. But I think kids have to understand that we’re talking about an age where there wasn’t the Internet. Where really, television programs weren’t as concentrated on education as they are today. A lot of that started to grow up with me but weren’t a part of the life I was in at the time. At any rate, he says to me, “You apply. Our guidance counselors will give you the applications.” I said, “How much will it cost me?” And he retorted by saying, “Nothing, because you’re as poor as I am. You’ll get a scholarship.” I said, “Alright, how much are the applications, do I have to pay for that?” He said, “Same thing, they’re going to waive them, don’t worry. Just apply.” So I asked him which ones to apply to. He told me, I applied to them, and lo and behold I got in. But it was not with an understanding of what I had accomplished. That came after I got in. As I was telling people about where I was going to college, and I could see both surprise in their faces and a sense of, I think the word is “admiration,” in their eyes. And from there I began to understand that getting into a place like Princeton wasn’t a norm. And it certainly wasn’t expected of a child like me. But it was something that would be important to me.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>When you were at Princeton you ended up graduating with honors, you won all kinds of awards. You won the Pyne Prize.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I didn’t know what that was either.</p> <p><strong>But the first two years were a real slog. Can you tell us what that was like?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/GDEbtmkIiE8?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_28_18_26.Still007-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_28_18_26.Still007-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/perseverance/">Perseverance</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I’ve learned very early in my life that if you compete against other people you’re going to find yourself wanting in some way. Especially because none of us are perfect, we’re human beings. We do some things well, we do other things not so well. Other people do some things well, and other things not well. But if you put yourself in competition with others you’re going to find yourself disappointed. And I figured out a sure-fire way to avoid that disappointment, which was to figure out what I needed to do, each day, to improve myself. To set my goals not against the accomplishments of other people but to set my goals against what I wanted to accomplish, how I wanted to improve.</p> <p>So I spent my first two years at Princeton, again learning how to learn. How to write papers because I went in from a fairly decent high school but where writing wasn’t its emphasis. Multiple choice was and I was great at multiple choice. Short answers, I can do fabulously. Longer essays, I had very little practice with when I went to high… when I went to college. And so I had to figure out how to start writing persuasive essays. I also had to figure out how to finally master writing English because I had taken on so many of the grammatical, or grammatically-induced errors of translating from Spanish to English. So what I did was I went out and bought grammar books from first to twelfth grade, I reread them. I worked with a professor at college, who, every paper I wrote, he would circle my errors and explain what I had done.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>Was this after you got a C on your first paper?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/acFPJBe6s1Y?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_32_53_03.Still008-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_32_53_03.Still008-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/perseverance/">Perseverance</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I got a C on my first paper, and I knew, this is when I knew I had to learn how to write. But my professor, Peter Winn, who is still teaching now, I remember the first words he circled, which were “dictatorship of authority.” Oh no, so “authority of dictatorship,” “authority of dictatorship.” And Professor Winn looked at me, and he said, “There are a lot of nouns in Spanish where an adjective is added with the preposition ‘of.'”</p> <p>So you don’t, we don’t say in Spanish, “shirt, cotton.” In Spanish we say, “shirt of cotton,” not “cotton shirt.” So he said, “This should be ‘dictatorial authority.’ It’s an adjective, you put it before the noun.” And I went, “Oh.” He said, “Now go back and find all the places in the paper where you did that and fix it.” And so that’s what I do, and the next paper, with that lesson in mind, I would write out my essay.</p> <p>I would go back and correct all of those errors. We did that paper after paper, error after error, and by the time I finished Princeton, after a lot of papers, I got an A from the reader on my senior thesis, who said that it was the best written thesis he had read that semester. That was a compliment that I thought I had earned.</p> <p>But what I understood was that I had to work to get it. Nothing comes naturally. I had a roommate in college who is still a friend who would write her papers the night before they were due. I couldn’t do that. Because I have to read everything I write and edit it. So I’m not a natural writer. She’s more a natural writer than I am. But I can do what I need to do to give myself enough time to write papers, edit them, before I turn them in. And that’s what I still do.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>Is that the same roommate who said you were like Alice in Wonderland?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111075523if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/aP3uZQZ9c6U?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_23_38_29.Still005-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sotomayor-Sonia-2016-MasterEdit.00_23_38_29.Still005-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I was talking to her one day about how alien a world Princeton was to me, having come from a very urban environment to a sort of, not rural, but suburban existence that Princeton was. Being with kids who had grown up in private schools, who spent vacations in places I had only read about, and that no one in my family ever imagined they could visit. I was trying to describe to her how alien I was in this world. And she looked at me and said, “You’re like Alice in Wonderland,” and I looked at her and said, “Who’s Alice in Wonderland?” And she said, “You haven’t read the book?” And I said, “No.” So she looked at me and said, “Hmm. I have it at home. When I go back over the holidays I’ll bring it back to you.” Which she did. But I realized, I asked her when she had read it, and she said in grammar school. I then looked at her and said, “What other books did you read in grammar school?” because in my Spanish home, <em>Alice in Wonderland</em> wasn’t a part of what we read. My mother bought the <em>Reader’s Digest</em> so that we could have some understanding of popular literature, but she didn’t know how to guide me in my classical reading. So Mary gave me a very long list of books to pick up and read, and one of my summers in college I read all those books. And I finally did get to read <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>, and I felt just like her.</p> </div> </div>     <aside class="collapse" id="full-interview">    <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>So you went on to Yale Law School, and then you went to work in the Manhattan D.A.’s office for four-plus years. You ended up trying felonies, big, nasty felonies but you lost your first two jury trials, and then you went to see your boss, and what did your boss tell you?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: He asked me to go through the evidence of the cases, which I did. And at the end of it he said, “Well, you have one thing missing.” I said “What, I thought I covered all of the bases. I made the best arguments that I think the evidence would support.” And he looked at me, and he said, “That may all be true, but you’re missing passion. You related this crime and your evidence in a very impersonal way. How did you make the jury want to convict?” I said “Well, the judge charges them, tells them they have to convict if I prove my case.” And he said, “No, sentencing, not sentencing, finding someone guilty is a huge responsibility. You have to make people believe it’s what they have to do. And you have to make them believe that the evidence that you’ve presented gives them basically no choice.” And so I said, “How do you do that?” And he explained to me that it’s in the manner that you present your case. It’s in the manner that you show how passionately you believe in what you’re doing. And in how much you believe that you’ve actually proven your case and that they must return a verdict of guilty. And his words have led me to believe that that passion is what guarantees success in life. Because that’s what leaders almost always have, is passion about what they’re doing. That passion excites not just them but you. And if you want people to follow, you have to really want where you’re going. And so it was a lesson that let me not lose another case. I ended up with two hung juries after that in impossibly difficult cases to win, but I didn’t lose them. And I think it’s what’s kept me successful through most of my life, is that sense of believing in what I’m doing to be the right thing to do.</p> <p><strong>So why did you leave?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: The D.A.’s office? Because working in criminal law, whether you’re a police officer, a criminal defense attorney, a prosecutor, probation officer or corrections officer, anyone in that world is exposed often to the worst in people. Criminals have committed crimes, often horrific crimes. Those crimes have had negative impacts on victims and on entire families, whether they’re the victim’s family or the defendant’s family. You begin in that world to see the world not as a good place but as a bad place. You spend your time worrying about the bad in people rather than looking for the good. And I realized that that’s not how I wanted to spend my life. And that I needed to find other work that I would, would take me to more positive places.</p> <p><strong>So you went to work at a small, private law firm. You were very successful there. And then your partner gave you an application and said you should apply for a federal district judgeship. You were only 36. Did you think he was out of his mind?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I did. I ignored him. I ignored him, and I told him no one would appoint a lawyer who was only 36 years old to the federal bench, it was a waste of my time. So for six months he periodically would look up and say, “Sonia, did you get the application?” And I’d say, “David, I told you it’s useless.” And he would continue, and every few weeks, or every, once every month or so he would come back to the subject. I ignored him. I went away for a holiday over Christmas of that 36th year of my life, and I came back, and my desk, which was always stockpiled with work, was empty. And I looked at my clean tabletop and looked at my assistant and said, “Where’s my work?” And she looked at me, and she said, “Go talk to Mr. Botwinik. I had nothing to do with this.” So I go marching into his office, and I say, “David, what are you doing?” He said, “Did you look on your seat?” And I said, “no.” “Go back and look on your seat.” So I went back, went to my seat, and on my seat was an application to Senator Moynihan’s selection committee for federal judgeships.</p> <p>I picked it up, I marched back to his office, I looked at him, and I said, “This is crazy. I’m wasting my time doing this. They’re never going to select someone this young.” He said, “Sonia, just do it.” I said, “Do you see all of these questions? I can’t do this alone.” He said, “You have your assistant. You have my assistant if you need her, and I’ll get you help from the paralegals.” Which I ultimately did need, by the way. Those applications are so burdensome.</p> <p>At any rate, moaning and groaning every single day that I sat at my desk filling that bloody thing out, I would stop by his office and say, “David, this is such a grand waste of our time. Do you know how many billable client hours I’m missing with these two weeks?” Suffice it to say, I put the application in. I finally finished it.</p> <p>And only a few weeks later I did get a call from Senator Moynihan’s committee. And I looked at him and said, “This is impossible.” He said, “Just go.” So I followed his advice, just went. He was the first person I called after the interview. And I said to him, “David, I still don’t think they’ll pick me, I’m only 36. But it’s the best interview I’ve ever given in my life. They won’t pick me, not because I wasn’t prepared for the interview.” And as it turns out, it probably was the best interview of my life, because I was called to see the senator a couple of weeks later.</p> <p><strong>So you were on the District Court for 12 years?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: The District Court for six, the Circuit Court for almost 12.</p> <p><strong>When you had been on the Court of Appeals for almost 12 years, you were asked to do another interview, but this one was with the President of the United States.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: That might have been my second best interview. In fact, when I was asked how that interview went by the staff that had been vetting me, the White House staff that had been vetting me, I looked at him, I looked at them and said, “Look, when you’re being interviewed it’s hard to tell how well you’re impressing someone. But I will tell you that I know a characteristic that’s probably led him to his current position. He actually asked the questions, the right questions to let me show my best to him. I will not regret anything that I did or didn’t say.” I told him, “I talked about me, and who I am in the best way that I could.” And it’s true. The president, in asking questions, was not judgmental. He simply let me explain.</p> <p><strong>Could you describe that day when he took you to the East Room to make the announcement? </strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: My mother, brother, and his family were in the back with the president and the vice president before my announcement. My brother is talking to the vice president about golf. My nephews are talking to the president about soccer. And I’m standing there anticipating this big announcement thinking this is just not real. This is really not happening. But finally some of the White House people come and escort everybody out of the room except for the president and vice president and I. And we start walking to the front of the East Conference Room where the announcement would be made. And they have very long legs, they’re very tall men and I’m not that tall, certainly not in comparison to them. Their long legs pushed them further from me, or ahead of me. And at a certain point I realized they were going to get to the front way before me, and I whispered, “Please slow down.” And they heard me, and they both turned around at exactly the same time, and both of them smiled at me.</p> <p>And at that moment I had an out-of-body experience. It was as if I couldn’t contain all the emotions I was feeling, and I had to let my consciousness leave my body and go somewhere up in the air. But from that moment on until about a year and a half later, I walked around doing things, looking from above down at myself doing things.</p> <p><strong>Including throwing out the first pitch.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: First pitch at Yankee Stadium. I can still tell you about, or tell you about looking at the crowd but really not hearing the roars because my head was, my consciousness was up there in the sky looking down.</p> <p><strong>So how did you practice for this, because I assume you’re not a really great pitcher.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Like everything I do in life, practice makes perfect. I had just come to the Court. I was inducted, my first induction occurred in early August. The induction that permitted me, the constitutional induction it’s called, it’s what permitted me to get all of the briefs that had been filed in court and all of the confidential memos and things of that nature.</p> <p>So I had started my preparation for our October term. The Yankees called me somewhere in the middle of August to ask me whether I would throw out a first pitch at the first Red Sox/Yankee game at the end of the season. As you know there’s quite a bit of rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, and I love the Yankees so I was never going to say no.</p> <p>But I had never thrown a baseball pitch in my life and I realized, “Gee, I don’t know how to do this.” So the first thing I did was find friends who knew how to throw baseballs, and they started teaching me how to throw a perfect pitch. A wonderful, wonderful friend on the Court, Kathy Arberg, Communications Director, had a friend who was a minor league pitcher. And she got him to come in and show me exactly how to hold the ball and throw it. And every afternoon for almost a month, I would go outside between the courthouse’s building and temporary offices trailers that they had parked while the courthouse was being renovated. There was an empty space of grass. I would go into that empty space and practice for about 20 minutes to half an hour.</p> <p><strong>Who was your catcher?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: My catcher was police officers who knew how to play baseball. It was whoever I could find to help me catch and throw. The entire building, you have to understand I was the new justice, the new baby on the block. The entire building was looking out at the windows at every pitch I threw. But I threw a pitch down the middle within the strike zone on the upper right hand corner.</p> <p><strong>It goes to show.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Practice makes perfect.</p> <p><strong>You’ve come to this court as an experienced judge with almost 18 years on the federal bench, yet you felt like you were drowning, and you kept saying to your colleagues, “Does it get better?”</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: There is a different way at looking at cases than when you’re on the lower court. On the lower court, you’re reading what the court has decided, and try to divine what the rule of law is that the Supreme Court has announced in whatever case it’s issued. And you’re trying to take that rule of law and apply it to a set of facts.</p> <p>Now you may or may not agree with a dissenter or with someone who has concurred on a different ground. But you don’t pay as much attention to that because you have to resolve the case that’s before you on the basis of the rules that the Supreme Court has already established. When you get on the Supreme Court, however, it’s a very different enterprise, because every case that we’re dealing with is an open question of law. There is rarely a direct precedent on point, and so what you’re doing is you’re reading all of the Supreme Court cases that inform that decision or help inform it. But you’re reading not just the majority opinions but the dissenters and the concurrences, to determine how you think it’s the right way to rule, because that ruling is going to affect all the existing cases that that case touches upon. But the development of the law in the future, so you have to know for yourself what the thinking in all of these areas of the law is, in a way that I didn’t have to do as a judge on the lower courts.</p> <p>That’s a huge amount of work. Also remember that many of the cases that we’re talking about in our decision-making have been written by one of my colleagues currently on the Court. They don’t have to reread those cases. I do. Or did, or still do. And you want to know how your colleagues think in case you want to change their mind, or try to change their mind, so you have to understand what bothers them. So you’re reading bearing that in mind with respect to your vote. How do I present what I’m thinking in a way that might be most appealing to the other members of the Court? That’s a lot, a lot of work, and it felt absolutely and utterly overwhelming the first three years — not two — three years on the court.</p> <p>I was working seven days a week and really had given up any personal life. But I also understand that that’s not the right way to live one’s life. If you don’t live in the world, it’s very hard for you to be a part of it. And certainly, at least for me, very hard to say that I’m making decisions that affect people unless I’m living part of their life too. And so, after those three years, when I felt a little bit more under control, and even to this day, I’m trying to maintain a piece of my personal life.</p> <p><strong>By now you increasingly have some very firm views on a lot of things that some of your colleagues do not agree with.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I dissent a lot, don’t I?</p> <p><strong>Your voice in dissent is sometimes more passionate than your voice when you’re keeping a majority together.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: That’s natural.</p> <p><strong>What’s it like to lose? Does it drive you nuts?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Does it drive me nuts? Another fascinating question. When I lose on things where I believe the Court has gone grievously wrong, I am sad, not nuts. I’m sad because I know the impact that a wrong decision has both on the people experiencing the situation, or on how the law is developing in a way that I don’t think it was intended by either our precedents or the Constitution.</p> <p>But nuts? No — I think, as I understand fundamentally that this is a collective process. We have nine voices, each engaging in trying to persuade another. I write my dissent in the hope that in some day in the future a majority of the Court will see I was right. I wouldn’t write it unless I thought I was right. And so I have hope that someday what I said will influence other judges to look at a situation the way I did and to right the path that I got stopped in. So that’s not to say that there aren’t times I’m really upset. There are moments where I’m very, very upset. But I can only continue doing it because I really believe that there’s a potential right down the road.</p> <p><strong>You do a lot of things that people don’t know you do, and sometimes even the people you’re doing it with don’t know who you are. You serve in soup kitchens, you do other things like that. Does it change your views? Or does it affect how you think?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: That’s impossible to answer. I tell people that I get asked all the time how does my being Latina affect my decision-making. And I look at people, and I say, “Probably no more or no less than every other life experience I’ve had.” Sonia is Sonia as a sum total of every life experience that I have engaged in. I am no less or no more a Latina than I am a woman, a child of a single mother, a former prosecutor, a former business lawyer, a former whatever you want to say I’ve done. All of my experiences combine to make me the unique person I am, in the same way they combine to make every individual unique unto themselves and to how they view the world.</p> <p>I happen to think that the more experiences I engage in, the richer a person I am. Just not only for myself but richer in terms of what I could ultimately give back to the world. And so, does it affect me? Not in any way where I can say to you in a particular case, “Because I served in a soup kitchen, I ruled this way.” No, it’s not only because I served in a soup kitchen that I ever rule in any particular way or because I’m a Latina that I do, that I make a decision in a particular way. It’s because that conglomerate, that combination of all of that has led me to be a judge who approaches problems in a certain way.</p> <p><strong>Do you think your childhood experience with diabetes influenced you? How did your parents react to it?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Well, I think any child who is diagnosed with a chronic disease the way I was with diabetes, something that would be with me for the rest of my life, parents’ automatic reaction is to be fearful. And my mother, who was a trained professional at the time, understood what the added risk in my life would be and it did terrify her. In fact it was not until very late in my life, probably my 40s, where one day my brother called her up because I had called him upset about how agitated she was because I had a cold. A little bit of what I have today. And because colds can cause complications in diabetics, every time I had a cold she would get very anxiety-ridden.</p> <p>She was driving me crazy. And my brother called her up and said, “You know you’ve got to stop this. You’re really upsetting Sonia. She’s going to end up not telling you anything is ever wrong because she’ll be afraid of how you’ll react, and please remember one thing: If she dies tomorrow, she’ll die the happiest person that you’ll ever know, because her diabetes has not stopped her from doing anything she’s ever wanted. So don’t you stop her.” My mother actually listened, and since then I can’t say that her worry has gone away. I’m sure it hasn’t, but she tortures me less about it.</p> <p><strong>In your book you said diabetes turned out to be a kind of disciplinarian for you.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Absolutely. I had a child, a six-year-old diabetic child at a conference once asked me if there was anything good that came out of being a diabetic. And obviously it’s a condition I have to pay close attention to. I always have to monitor what I’m eating, and the insulin I’m taking, and what I’m doing, and the exercise, and whether I’m sick or not. There’s constant variables that I have to balance in taking care of myself, but because of that, it showed me how to be disciplined about my own care, something that a lot of people don’t ever really learn until they’re sick. And it’s a lesson that’s highly important. Look at all the workaholics who work themselves literally, most of the time figuratively, to death. But they’re doing it because they don’t realize that the most important machine in your life is your body. And taking care of it is important for how well you function, and it gives you the opportunity to do everything else that you want to do if you’re watching your own health. And so for me that’s been a lifelong lesson. If I take care of myself I can do anything I want.</p> <p><strong>You mentioned learning to inject yourself so you could spend time with your grandmother. What did the two of you do together?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: What did I do with her? We would go to the market together every Saturday morning, and I loved that. She taught me how to pick the freshest vegetables there were. The sweetest fruit, she would point to the color, she would pick it up and smell it and let me smell it to tell me what smelled sweet and what didn’t.</p> <p>There are different types of smells to different types of fruit. Even today they’ll watch me in a store, and only the grocers who know someone who really knows what they’re doing permit this, but I pick up every piece of fruit to smell it before I put it in my basket. It’s a strange thing to watch but that’s what I do. And then we would go to the live poultry shop, and she would pick out a chicken for our meal that evening. And I would have to stand behind the glass that protected people from the feathers and guts that came out of the chicken, and watch that they were killing the chicken my grandmother had picked, and that we would get the same chicken at the end in a paper bag. And so that was my job with her.</p> <p>She knew every storekeeper in the neighborhood. She knew every vendor on the street. She taught me how to like people. That’s strange, but to enjoy people, to enjoy interacting with them, to get to know who they are, and to understand and appreciate the value of the work they were doing. That doesn’t come naturally to people, I don’t think. Not everyone possesses that ability, and my grandmother taught it to me, as I watched everyone calling out to Mercedes, which was my mother’s, grandmother’s name. I understood people cared about her. They actually liked her, and that was such a positive way, I thought, to interact in life.</p> <p><strong>In your book, you describe the parties at her house. Were these on weekends?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Generally Friday and Saturday nights. A smaller party on Friday nights, a bigger party on Saturday nights.</p> <p><strong>And you crawled under the table?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: The house would be full. Now when I say house, it wasn’t a house, it was an apartment in a tenement building in the South Bronx. And these apartments, now, I went back when I was writing my book to go visit the apartments, and they are tinier than I ever imagined as a child. I’m still not sure how dozens of people would fit into those apartments, I think we stood everywhere you could, and kids would hide everywhere they could, because otherwise you’d be kicked into the back into the bedrooms to get out of under people’s feet. But that’s my cousin, and I figured out that if we hid under the coffee table we would be left alone to watch. And so I got to hear the conversations, to listen to the music, to listen to my grandmother and my father somewhere in the middle of the night get up to recite poetry. And they would recite poems that were paragraph-long from memory, and it was always a sort of competition. Who was most dramatic, who could say it in a way that would engage people the most, and there would be a lot of clapping and stamping of feet when they finished, and I didn’t understand all the words because at least at that age I was still grappling with learning English, and my Spanish was a child’s Spanish.</p> <p>And these were grown-up poems. But their rhythm, the depth of my grandmother and father’s passion in reciting them. They gave me a lifelong love of two things, words and reading. Because words are so powerful, they’re instruments that can take anyone to where they want to go. I tell kids all the time through reading I escaped the bad parts of my life in the South Bronx. I would run to the library whenever I could and needed a place to hide. And through books I got to travel the world and the universe. I am still a lover of science fiction. And I’m the first one who went out and bought the most recent Harry Potter book. It, to me, was a passport out of my childhood and it remains a way through the power of words to change the world. If you can move people through words to do things they might not otherwise be inclined to do, to deliver passion that they might not otherwise have, to get them to step up and want to do more — all of that I believe is motivated by the power of words.</p> <p><strong>So you weren’t just escaping the South Bronx, you were escaping your homelife.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Sure.</p> <p><strong>While we’re on the subject of books, in one of your dissents you quoted <em>The Fire Next Time</em>, by James Baldwin, and another book written by a young African-American…</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Ta-Nehisi Coates, yes.</p> <p><strong>Do your colleagues ever respond to that? Does anybody ever say to you, “I want to read that book.”</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Oh, how interesting. No, but I don’t think that a colleague ever would. I think they’d just pick it up and read it if they wanted to, because I’m thinking of books that some of my colleagues may have quoted that I haven’t read. I will almost always get it from the library and read it at some point, because if they thought the book was important enough to influence their thinking then I would take the time to read it.</p> <p><strong>Are you a fast reader?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: I’m a very fast reader. David, the partner who encouraged me to apply for the Supreme Court once saw me reading an opinion as we were talking, and he looked at me, and he said, “Did you ever take a speed reading class?” And I said, “No.” He said, “You’re doing all the things they taught us to do in my speed reading class.” So somehow I figured this out.</p> <p><strong>One of the rare times you didn’t ask somebody else.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: It’s interesting. It was one of the rare times I didn’t, but I have figured out how to read quickly.</p> <p><strong>Could you pick two or three books that were really influential in your life, going back from your childhood to now?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: The Bible. I’m not an actively practicing Catholic on every occasion — I am a spiritual person — but I think the allegories, the stories, the parables of the Bible have influenced so much in the world. They’ve influenced art. You can’t walk into a city in Europe without seeing religious pictures. Understanding what those pictures symbolize to people, what they have meant, I think has made me a better-educated person. Understanding — as my former colleague Nino Scalia used to talk about — moral law and its influence on law generally, but understanding the relationship between moral, Biblical law, and our secular law has a great importance, I think, in any jurist’s existence. It is just the seminal book in terms of cultural understanding, whether it’s Christianity, Catholic, Jewish, perhaps not for Muslims. And the Koran is something that I have read because I understood it was important in the same way to a very significant portion of our population. But I think everyone, whether you’re religious or not, should read the Bible.</p> <p>The second, probably, and I didn’t talk about it in my book, which is always interesting to me, because it didn’t come up within a lesson, okay, within the book teaching me a lesson, but the second was <em>Don Quixote</em>. And that ties in so much to the optimistic part of me, this idea of tilting at windmills, whether they’re real or not. The imagination of them, what fueled that man, that love, that idyllic sort of quest. That can be life sometimes. We don’t always achieve what we end up hoping for. We can work very, very hard at things and come up short. But I take comfort from having dreamt the dream. From having taken the steps, the quest, to undergo the quest of trying to reach them. If at the end you don’t, you’ve had the journey, and I always think the journeys are valuable. They give you lessons, they give you memories. They help you meet people, they help you have an adventure in life. And so for me, that probably, when I’ve read that book, I understood that I was okay. Being optimistic wasn’t a bad thing. It was actually a very good thing.</p> <p><strong>You’ve been talking about the power of words, which is great, but you haven’t mentioned music. Do you listen to particular music when you write your opinions?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: No, and I have a couple of colleagues who do. I have a fabulous power of concentration by the way. People can talk outside my office and it doesn’t distract me. But because I am slightly hearing impaired — not grossly but slightly — I have never really heard music well. To hear music I have to concentrate. I can’t step away from it to hear it. So it’s the one thing I don’t turn on.</p> <p><strong>What first made you think you could be a lawyer? Why did you choose the law?</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Why law? Well, I am a media child, and the first lawyer I ever knew about was a TV character, Perry Mason. There were no lawyers in the housing projects I lived in. There were no lawyers in my family. We were blue-collar, working-class people, and so professionals like lawyers were not heard of in my circles as a child, but I met my first character as a lawyer by Perry Mason. And what he was doing helping people, by trying to prove that his clients in particular were innocent of the crimes that they committed, seemed like a pretty worthwhile endeavor to me, life endeavor. But what I liked about it was that he was playing detective. He was trying to figure out how the crime alleged was committed and who the person was that committed the crime. Now that’s not really lawyering because it was fictionalized.</p> <p><strong>It’s police work.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: It’s police work. But more importantly, I’ve been a judge now for almost 25 years and never, ever have I ever heard of a lawyer on television, a lawyer in real life, breaking down a witness on the witness stand and getting the witness to admit he or she committed the crime. It just doesn’t happen, okay? So you have to take with a grain of salt any portrayal of real life on TV.</p> <p>First of all, they have to take out all the boring parts. Secondly, they have to condense what happens generally over a long period of time into a segment that’s half an hour or an hour long, so they get to shoot the most interesting parts and none of the drudgery that surrounds it. But more importantly, they have to dramatize what’s happening, and work is often not drama, whether it’s lawyering or any other kind of work. But what I, the essence of what Perry Mason was doing of helping his client was something that over time I understood was the mission of lawyering. It’s service to people’s relationships. Every lawyer is trying to help either a person or an institution, whether it’s a private or government institution, agency, or project, into addressing a difficulty that they’re having with another entity. And when you’re doing that, you’re trying to either better those two entities’ relationships… when two business partners go into business together they’re trying to figure out, figure out how to operate together, how to take their competing interests and make them work together to abet a goal. If it’s a criminal defendant in a case, the state is charging that person with a crime. Whether you’re a prosecutor or a defense attorney, you’re trying to serve the needs of society in ensuring that the prosecutor has proven his or her case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the defendant has received fairness in the process. These are roles of service and that’s what I love about it.</p> <p><strong>But we know the law is not always just. It’s rules.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: Yes. It’s rules, and the rules are there for a reason, to have rules so that people know how to conduct their lives, their affairs, the trial, whatever, but it’s not always just. The problem with justice is that it’s relative to the two people involved. In every single court case, there’s one side who wins and there’s one side that loses. There’s always that flip of a coin. The person who won thinks it’s very fair, and very just. And the person who loses always think it’s unjust. They rarely think that they’ve gotten their process in court the way they had hoped. And so how do I choose between the two? If I do it on personal preference, I’m certainly going to misgauge the situation because valuing the importance of an outcome to one person versus another is a very difficult thing to do. This isn’t Solomon, where you say, “I’ll slice the child up,” and the mother, the real mother, says, “Give it to the other woman, because I don’t want my child sliced up.” That’s not real life, okay. The rules help us in our relationships. Even though the outcomes may feel unjust to the one person, they are a way of managing our relationships with each other, according to preferences that are not personal to the judge-giver or to you and me, but to an objective standard that people can look at and say, “Okay, this is what this is about.” How we deal with one another. Justice can happen in law, that’s why we have so many settlements of cases. If that wasn’t a possibility, people would feel the system was more unjust than it is.</p> <p><strong>On the old <em>Perry Mason</em> show there were no women in leadership roles, were there? There were no women lawyers.</strong></p> <p>Sonia Sotomayor: He had a woman judge. I do remember that. It was very unusual. But there were no women attorneys, you were right about that.</p> <p><strong>Times have changed. Thank you for everything.</strong></p> </div>  </aside>  <div class="read-more__toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#full-interview"><a href="#" class="sans-4 btn">Read full interview</a></div> </article> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="gallery" role="tabpanel"> <section class="isotope-wrapper">  <header class="toolbar toolbar--gallery bg-white clearfix"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="serif-4">Sonia Sotomayor Gallery</div> </div> <div class="col-md-6 text-md-right isotope-toolbar"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline m-b-0 text-brand-primary sans-4"> <li class="list-inline-item" data-filter=".photo"><i class="icon-icon_camera"></i>67 photos</li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="isotope-gallery isotope-box single-achiever__gallery clearfix"> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75657894736842" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor and friends at Princeton." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor and friends at Princeton." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-380x288.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-friends-at-Princeton-760x575.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4587332053743" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y.2.jpg" data-image-caption="Graduation from middle school in the Bronx, New York." data-image-copyright="Graduation from middle school in the Bronx, New York." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y.2-260x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y.2-521x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.675" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y..jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with friends during graduation from middle school in the Bronx, New York." data-image-copyright="graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-bronx-n-y" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y.-380x256.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Graduation-from-middle-school-in-the-Bronx-N.Y.-760x513.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3427561837456" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-her-elementary-school-uniform.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor in her elementary school uniform." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor in her elementary school uniform." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-her-elementary-school-uniform-283x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-her-elementary-school-uniform-566x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.96315789473684" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Nelson-on-her-fourth-birthday.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with her cousin Nelson on her fourth birthday." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor with her cousin, Nelson, on her fourth birthday." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Nelson-on-her-fourth-birthday-380x366.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Nelson-on-her-fourth-birthday-760x732.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.74868421052632" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother0.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor and her mother." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor and her mother." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother0-380x284.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother0-760x569.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.68947368421053" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother7.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor and her mother." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor and her mother." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother7-380x262.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-mother7-760x524.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.99605263157895" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9.jpg" data-image-caption="Juan and Celina Sotomayor" data-image-copyright="Juan and Celina Sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9-380x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Juan-and-Celina-Sotomayor9-760x757.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.99342105263158" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-brother-and-mother.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with her brother and mother." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor with her brother and mother." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-brother-and-mother-380x377.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-brother-and-mother-760x755.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.453154875717" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Juan-Jr..jpg" data-image-caption="1963: Sotomayor and her brother, Juan Jr." data-image-copyright="1963: Sotomayor and her brother Juan Jr." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Juan-Jr.-261x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-Juan-Jr.-523x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3058419243986" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-brother.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with her father and brother." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor with her father and brother." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-brother-291x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-brother-582x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.73421052631579" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-and-Juan-Sotomayor8.jpg" data-image-caption="Celina and Juan Sotomayor" data-image-copyright="Celina and Juan Sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-and-Juan-Sotomayor8-380x279.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-and-Juan-Sotomayor8-760x558.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.67105263157895" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-Abuelita.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with her father and Abuelita." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor with her father and Abuelita." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-Abuelita-380x255.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-her-father-and-Abuelita-760x510.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.93421052631579" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents.jpg" data-image-caption="1961: Sotomayor and her younger brother, Juan Jr., with their parents." data-image-copyright="1961: Sotomayor and her younger brother, Juan Jr., with their parents." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents-380x355.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-younger-brother-Juan-Jr.-with-their-parents-760x710.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3868613138686" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-elementary-school.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor in elementary school." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor in elementary school." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-elementary-school-274x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-in-elementary-school-548x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.97763157894737" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor and her grandparents." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor and her grandparents." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-380x371.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-760x743.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75921052631579" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-makes-food-with-friends-during-her-college-years..jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor makes food with friends during her college years." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor makes food with friends during her college years." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-makes-food-with-friends-during-her-college-years.-380x288.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-makes-food-with-friends-during-her-college-years.-760x577.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.67368421052632" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15_1200.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor" data-image-copyright="Sonia Sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15_1200-380x256.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/15_1200-760x512.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4258911819887" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-age-7-or-8-at-her-first-Communion.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor, age 7, at her First Communion." data-image-copyright="Sonia Sotomayor, age 7, at her First Communion." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-age-7-or-8-at-her-first-Communion-267x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-age-7-or-8-at-her-first-Communion-533x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5573770491803" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-kept-this-photo-of-Abuelita-in-her-wallet-for-years..jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor kept this photo of her grandmother, Abuelita, in her wallet for years." data-image-copyright="sotomayor-kept-this-photo-of-abuelita-in-her-wallet-for-years" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-kept-this-photo-of-Abuelita-in-her-wallet-for-years.-244x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-kept-this-photo-of-Abuelita-in-her-wallet-for-years.-488x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.96578947368421" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-mother-Celina.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor's mother, Celina." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor's mother, Celina." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-mother-Celina-380x367.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-mother-Celina-760x734.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.61973684210526" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Gallego-and-Abuelita.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor's grandparents, Gallego and Abuelita." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor's grandparents, Gallego and Abuelita." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Gallego-and-Abuelita-380x236.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Gallego-and-Abuelita-760x471.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.98289473684211" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor and her grandparents, Gallego and Abuelita." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor and her grandparents, Gallego and Abuelita." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita-380x373.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-and-her-grandparents-Gallego-and-Abuelita-760x747.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4503816793893" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/5_1200.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor as a child." data-image-copyright="5_1200" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/5_1200-262x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/5_1200-524x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65263157894737" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Christmas-circa-1958.jpg" data-image-caption="Christmas 1958: Sonia and her brother." data-image-copyright="Christmas 1958: Sonia and her brother." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Christmas-circa-1958-380x248.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Christmas-circa-1958-760x496.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5541922290389" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-Sotomayor-left-and-her-sister.jpg" data-image-caption="Celina Sotomayor (left) and her sister." data-image-copyright="Celina Sotomayor (left) and her sister." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-Sotomayor-left-and-her-sister-245x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Celina-Sotomayor-left-and-her-sister-489x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65526315789474" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor (left) and her mother, Celina, 1959." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor (left) and her mother, Celina, 1959" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280-380x249.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tumblr_mgmn4gJEMr1qd9dz2o1_1280-760x498.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.77763157894737" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-circa-1970s.jpg" data-image-caption="1970s: Sonia Sotomayor" data-image-copyright="1970s: Sonia Sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-circa-1970s-380x295.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-circa-1970s-760x591.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Barack_Obama__Joe_Biden_with_Sonia_Sotamayor.jpg" data-image-caption="President Barack Obama meets with Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, and Vice President Joseph Biden prior to an announcement in the East Room, May 26, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)" data-image-copyright="barack_obama__joe_biden_with_sonia_sotamayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Barack_Obama__Joe_Biden_with_Sonia_Sotamayor-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Barack_Obama__Joe_Biden_with_Sonia_Sotamayor-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.0228802153432" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_7.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor with her mother and father. " data-image-copyright="youth_7" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_7-372x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_7-743x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4285714285714" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_9.jpg" data-image-caption="Graduation from middle school in the Bronx, New York." data-image-copyright="youth_9" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_9-266x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Youth_9-532x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.50789473684211" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor_NassauHerald_2.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor wrote a thankful message to her friends and professors in the Princeton yearbook." data-image-copyright="sotomayor_nassauherald_2" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor_NassauHerald_2-380x193.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor_NassauHerald_2-760x386.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Judge-Sotomayor-with-nephews-Conner-and-Corey-Sotomayor-at-Yankee-Stadium.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor with her nephews, Conner and Corey Sotomayor, at Yankee Stadium." data-image-copyright="judge-sotomayor-with-nephews-conner-and-corey-sotomayor-at-yankee-stadium" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Judge-Sotomayor-with-nephews-Conner-and-Corey-Sotomayor-at-Yankee-Stadium-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Judge-Sotomayor-with-nephews-Conner-and-Corey-Sotomayor-at-Yankee-Stadium-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1009.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor" data-image-copyright="sotomayorphotos-1009" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1009-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1009-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3818181818182" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1048.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor in 2009, the year she was sworn in as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court." data-image-copyright="sotomayorphotos-1048" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1048-275x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SotomayorPhotos-1048-550x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.56184210526316" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167709000.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court. She was also New York state's first Hispanic federal judge." data-image-copyright="167709000" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167709000-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167709000-760x427.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/169192455.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor, 1959" data-image-copyright="Sotomayor, 1959" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/169192455-380x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/169192455-760x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.68157894736842" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/slide_305089_2616165_free.jpg" data-image-caption="The Supreme Court's newest member, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with her mother, Celina Sotomayor." data-image-copyright="slide_305089_2616165_free" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/slide_305089_2616165_free-380x259.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/slide_305089_2616165_free-760x518.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.84736842105263" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/14sotomayor_2-jumbo.jpg" data-image-caption="Justice Sotomayor was escorted by Jorge Posada, the catcher for the Yankees, to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a game in 2009. Her landmark 1995 ruling "effectively ended a 232-day baseball strike." Many baseball observers "agree that Sotomayor's quick, decisive action — which helped halt a strike that had eliminated the last month and a half of the 1994 regular season as well as the entire postseason — ended a dispute that could have ruined the national pastime for good."" data-image-copyright="14sotomayor_2-jumbo" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/14sotomayor_2-jumbo-380x322.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/14sotomayor_2-jumbo-760x644.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.0187667560322" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-friends-during-her-years-at-Yale.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor with friends during her years at Yale." data-image-copyright="Sotomayor with friends during her years at Yale." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-friends-during-her-years-at-Yale-373x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-with-friends-during-her-years-at-Yale-746x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4179104477612" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-portrait-with-a-note-to-Kevin.jpg" data-image-caption="Sotomayor's high school portrait. She graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx in 1972." data-image-copyright="sotomayors-portrait-with-a-note-to-kevin" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-portrait-with-a-note-to-Kevin-268x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayors-portrait-with-a-note-to-Kevin-536x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4785992217899" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/In-1976-Sotomayor-married-her-high-school-sweetheart-just-after-graduating-from-Princeton..jpg" data-image-caption="August 14, 1976: After graduating from Princeton, Sotomayor married her high school sweetheart, Kevin Noonan. Sotomayor and Noonan divorced in 1983." data-image-copyright="in-1976-sotomayor-married-her-high-school-sweetheart-just-after-graduating-from-princeton" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/In-1976-Sotomayor-married-her-high-school-sweetheart-just-after-graduating-from-Princeton.-257x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/In-1976-Sotomayor-married-her-high-school-sweetheart-just-after-graduating-from-Princeton.-514x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.61973684210526" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge..jpg" data-image-caption="1979: Sotomayor "received her J.D. in 1979, passed the bar in 1980 and immediately began work as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, serving as a trial lawyer under District Attorney Robert Morgenthau." She was "responsible for prosecuting robbery, assault, murder, police brutality and child pornography cases."" data-image-copyright="sotomayor-excelled-at-princeton-and-would-go-off-to-yale-law-school-and-the-new-york-district-attorneys-office-before-becoming-a-judge" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge.-380x235.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-excelled-at-Princeton-and-would-go-off-to-Yale-Law-School-and-the-New-York-District-Attorney’s-Office-before-becoming-a-judge.-760x471.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.005291005291" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-graduates-from-Yale-Law-School.jpg" data-image-caption="1979: Sotomayor graduates from Yale Law School, where she was an editor for the <i>Yale Law Journal</I>." data-image-copyright="sotomayor-graduates-from-yale-law-school" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-graduates-from-Yale-Law-School-378x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-graduates-from-Yale-Law-School-756x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.6309012875536" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor.jpg" data-image-caption="2013: <I>My Beloved World</I> is a memoir written by Sonia Sotomayor about her childhood, education, and life through 1992. "In recounting her early life, Sotomayor describes growing up in a housing project in the Bronx to Puerto Rican emigrants. Her father was an alcoholic who died when she was nine, and she was subsequently cared for in large part by her grandmother. She tells of developing diabetes at the age of seven and learning to give herself her insulin injections due to the unreliability of her parents. Despite numerous odds, she relates her experiences in becoming valedictorian of her high school class, attending Princeton and then Yale Law School, working for the New York County District Attorney, and finally being appointed a federal judge in New York."" data-image-copyright="my-beloved-world-by-sonia-sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor-233x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/My-Beloved-World-by-Sonia-Sotomayor-466x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f.jpg" data-image-caption="President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden escort Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the East Room of the White House, where the President will introduce her as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter, May 26, 2009. Vice President Joe Biden looks on at left. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)" data-image-copyright="sonia-sotomayor-3-9-16f" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16f-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65131578947368" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/rtr_ruth_bader_ginsburg_sotu_address_jc_150120.jpg" data-image-caption="January 20, 2015: Six Supreme Court Justices in attendance at the State of the Union Address given by President Barack Obama in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives." data-image-copyright="rtr_ruth_bader_ginsburg_sotu_address_jc_150120" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/rtr_ruth_bader_ginsburg_sotu_address_jc_150120-380x248.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/rtr_ruth_bader_ginsburg_sotu_address_jc_150120-760x495.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.71052631578947" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PHO-09May26-163308.jpg" data-image-caption="May 26, 2009: President Obama introduces Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his choice for the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor, a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was named a U.S. District Court judge by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, and was elevated to her current seat by President Bill Clinton." data-image-copyright="pho-09may26-163308" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PHO-09May26-163308-380x270.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PHO-09May26-163308-760x540.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/President_Barack_Obama_with_Justice_Sonia_Sotomayor_in_the_Oval_Office_08-12-09.jpg" data-image-caption="August 12, 2009: President Barack Obama and Justice Sonia Sotomayor meet in the Oval Office prior to a reception for the new Supreme Court Justice at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)" data-image-copyright="president_barack_obama_with_justice_sonia_sotomayor_in_the_oval_office_08-12-09" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/President_Barack_Obama_with_Justice_Sonia_Sotomayor_in_the_Oval_Office_08-12-09-380x247.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/President_Barack_Obama_with_Justice_Sonia_Sotomayor_in_the_Oval_Office_08-12-09-760x494.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66447368421053" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony2.jpg" data-image-caption="From left to right: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.), Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Elena Kagan in the Justices’ Conference Room prior to Justice Kagan’s Investiture." data-image-copyright="Associate Justice Elena Kagan Investiture Ceremony" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony2-380x252.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony2-760x505.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66447368421053" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony.jpg" data-image-caption="Justices Sonia Sotomayor (left) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (center) with Justice Elena Kagan in the Justices’ Conference Room prior to Justice Kagan’s Investiture Ceremony." data-image-copyright="Associate Justice Elena Kagan Investiture Ceremony" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony-380x252.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Associate-Justice-Elena-Kagan-Investiture-Ceremony-760x505.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.64473684210526" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-is-sworn-by-Associate-Justice-Sonia-Sotomayor-at-the-ceremonial-swearing-.jpg" data-image-caption="Vice President Joe Biden is sworn by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, January 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)" data-image-copyright="Inaugural Swearing In" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-is-sworn-by-Associate-Justice-Sonia-Sotomayor-at-the-ceremonial-swearing--380x245.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-is-sworn-by-Associate-Justice-Sonia-Sotomayor-at-the-ceremonial-swearing--760x490.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Picture002fcdefa.jpg" data-image-caption="Sonia Sotomayor and her mother, Celina." data-image-copyright="picture002fcdefa" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Picture002fcdefa-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Picture002fcdefa-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.62631578947368" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ap527771242202.jpg" data-image-caption="January 20, 2013: Vice President Joe Biden, left, takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, as his wife Jill Biden holds the family Bible and other family members look on at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington. (AP Photos/Kevin Lamarque, Pool)" data-image-copyright="Biden" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ap527771242202-380x238.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ap527771242202-760x476.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167708952.jpg" data-image-caption="2016: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke with NPR in December at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (Kainaz Amaria)" data-image-copyright="sotomayor_001" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167708952-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/167708952-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.25" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia_Sotomayor_in_SCOTUS_robe.jpg" data-image-caption="2009: Official Portrait of Justice Sonia Sotomayor. (Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States)" data-image-copyright="sonia_sotomayor_in_scotus_robe" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia_Sotomayor_in_SCOTUS_robe-304x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia_Sotomayor_in_SCOTUS_robe-608x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.68289473684211" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red.jpg" data-image-caption="July 16, 2009: U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor takes her seat for her fourth and final day of testimony during her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. (REUTERS/Jason Reed)" data-image-copyright="U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sotomayor takes her seat for her fourth and final day of testimony during her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red-380x259.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sonia-testimony-in-red-760x519.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-NIN-TOTENBERG-2016-DEC06-2016-B.jpg" data-image-caption="December 6, 2016: NPR's award-winning correspondent Nina Totenberg interviews Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the United States Supreme Court." data-image-copyright="sotomayor-interview-nin-totenberg-2016-dec06-2016-b" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-NIN-TOTENBERG-2016-DEC06-2016-B-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-NIN-TOTENBERG-2016-DEC06-2016-B-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-2016-DEC06-2016-A.jpg" data-image-caption="December 6, 2016: NPR's award-winning correspondent Nina Totenberg interviews Justice Sonia Sotomayor at the United States Supreme Court." data-image-copyright="sotomayor-interview-2016-dec06-2016-a" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-2016-DEC06-2016-A-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SOTOMAYOR-INTERVIEW-2016-DEC06-2016-A-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16e.jpg" data-image-caption="President Barack Obama talks with Justice Sotomayor prior to her Investiture Ceremony at the Supreme Court, September 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)" data-image-copyright="sonia-sotomayor-3-9-16e" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16e-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sonia-Sotomayor-3.9.16e-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66842105263158" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/0524hillarycourt01.jpg" data-image-caption="January 25, 2011: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton greets Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan (right) and Sonia Sotomayor (center) prior to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on Capitol Hill. (REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool)" data-image-copyright="Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton greets Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor prior to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/0524hillarycourt01-380x254.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/0524hillarycourt01-760x508.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SCOTUSJustices62915.jpg" data-image-caption="February 12, 2013: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan await the start of President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)" data-image-copyright="State Of Union" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SCOTUSJustices62915-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SCOTUSJustices62915-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66578947368421" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RTR25P3J-2.jpg" data-image-caption="U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor (center) departs for a lunch break during the third day of her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2009. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)" data-image-copyright="Sotomayor departs for a lunch break during the third day of her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RTR25P3J-2-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RTR25P3J-2-760x506.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-©-Elena-Seibert.jpg" data-image-caption="2012: Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Amber Kayo)" data-image-copyright="2012: Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Amber Kayo)" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-©-Elena-Seibert-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-©-Elena-Seibert-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66973684210526" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice.jpg" data-image-caption="Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. administers the Constitutional Oath to Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the Justices' Conference Room on Saturday, August 8, 2009. Mrs. Celina Sotomayor, the mother of the new Associate Justice, holds the family Bible during the ceremony." data-image-copyright="sotomayor-sworn-in-as-associate-justice" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice-380x255.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sotomayor-sworn-in-as-Associate-Justice-760x509.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.65131578947368" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Obama_and_Sotomayor.jpg" data-image-caption="President Barack Obama meets with Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the Oval Office on May 21, 2009. The president nominated Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court on May 26, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)" data-image-copyright="obama_and_sotomayor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Obama_and_Sotomayor-380x248.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Obama_and_Sotomayor-760x495.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/GettyImages-91667763.jpg" data-image-caption="September 8, 2009: Vice President Joe Biden meets with Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony M. Kennedy, John Paul Stevens, Chief Justice John Roberts, President Barack Obama, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, and retired Associate Justice David Souter prior to the Investiture Ceremony for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, at the Supreme Court on September 8, 2009 in Washington, D.C. (Pete Souza/White House)" data-image-copyright="gettyimages-91667763" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/GettyImages-91667763-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/12/GettyImages-91667763-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure>    </div> </section> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <footer class="editorial-article__footer col-md-8 col-md-offset-4"> <div class="editorial-article__next-link sans-3"> <a href="#"><strong>What's next:</strong> <span class="editorial-article__next-link-title">profile</span></a> </div> <ul class="social list-unstyled list-inline ssk-group m-b-0"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-facebook" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Facebook"><i class="icon-icon_facebook-circle"></i></a></li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-twitter" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Twitter"><i class="icon-icon_twitter-circle"></i></a></li>  <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-email" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever via Email"><i class="icon-icon_email-circle"></i></a></li> </ul> <time class="editorial-article__last-updated sans-6">This page last revised on March 24, 2017</time> <div class="sans-4"><a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/how-to-cite" target="_blank">How to cite this page</a></div> </footer> </div> <div class="container interview-related-achievers"> <hr class="m-t-3 m-b-3"/> <footer class="clearfix small-blocks text-xs-center"> <h3 class="m-b-3 serif-3">If you are inspired by this achiever’s story, you might also enjoy:</h3> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever public-service illness-or-disability racism-discrimination ambitious pursue-public-office " data-year-inducted="1995" data-achiever-name="Ginsburg"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ruth-bader-ginsburg/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gin0-001a-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gin0-001a-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</div> <div class="achiever-block__known-as text-white sans-6">Justice, Supreme Court of the United States</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-white achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">1995</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="centered-blocks"> <div class="isotope-achiever experienced-war-firsthand small-town-rural-upbringing " data-year-inducted="1978" data-achiever-name="Johnson"> <div class="achiever-block view-grid"> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-m-johnson/"> <figure class="ratio-container ratio-container--square bg-black"> <div class="lazyload box achiever-block__image" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/johnson-frank-013a-190x190.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/11/johnson-frank-013a-380x380.jpg"></div> <div class="achiever-block__overlay"></div> <figcaption class="text-xs-center achiever-block__text"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <div class="achiever-block__text--center"> <div class="achiever-block__name text-brand-primary">Frank M. 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Elion, M.Sc.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/larry-j-ellison/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry J. Ellison</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nora-ephron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nora Ephron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/julius-erving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Julius Erving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/tony-fadell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Tony Fadell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/paul-farmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Farmer, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/suzanne-farrell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzanne Farrell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/anthony-s-fauci-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sally-field/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally Field</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lord-norman-foster/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Norman Foster</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/aretha-franklin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Aretha Franklin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/milton-friedman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Milton Friedman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-fuentes/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Fuentes</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/athol-fugard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Athol Fugard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ernest-j-gaines/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernest J. Gaines</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/william-h-gates-iii/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William H. Gates III</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leymah-gbowee/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leymah Gbowee</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-gehry/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank O. Gehry</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/murray-gell-mann-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Murray Gell-Mann, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-ghosn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Ghosn</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/vince-gill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Vince Gill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ruth-bader-ginsburg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/louise-gluck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louise Glück</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/whoopi-goldberg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Whoopi Goldberg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jane-goodall/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Jane Goodall</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/doris-kearns-goodwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mikhail-s-gorbachev/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mikhail S. Gorbachev</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nadine-gordimer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nadine Gordimer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-jay-gould/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Jay Gould, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carol-greider-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol Greider, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-grisham/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Grisham</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-john-gurdon/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir John Gurdon</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dorothy Hamill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/demis-hassabis-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Demis Hassabis, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lauryn-hill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lauryn Hill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-edmund-hillary/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Edmund Hillary</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/reid-hoffman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reid Hoffman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/khaled-hosseini/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Khaled Hosseini, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ron-howard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Howard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-hume/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Hume</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/louis-ignarro-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louis Ignarro, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/daniel-inouye/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Daniel K. Inouye</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jeremy-irons/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jeremy Irons</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-irving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Irving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/kazuo-ishiguro/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Kazuo Ishiguro</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-peter-jackson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Peter Jackson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/donald-c-johanson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Donald C. Johanson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-m-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank M. Johnson, Jr.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/philip-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Philip C. Johnson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/chuck-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Chuck Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-earl-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Earl Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/quincy-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Quincy Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/beverly-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Beverly Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dereck-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dereck Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/paul-kagame/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Kagame</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/thomas-keller-2/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Thomas Keller</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/anthony-m-kennedy/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony M. Kennedy</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/b-b-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">B.B. King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carole-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carole King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/coretta-scott-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Coretta Scott King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/henry-kissinger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry A. Kissinger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/willem-j-kolff/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willem J. Kolff, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wendy-kopp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wendy Kopp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/henry-r-kravis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry R. Kravis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nicholas-d-kristof/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nicholas D. Kristof</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mike-krzyzewski/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mike Krzyzewski</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ray-kurzwell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Kurzweil</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/eric-lander-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/robert-s-langer-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/richard-leakey/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard E. Leakey</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leon-lederman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Lederman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/robert-lefkowitz-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/congressman-john-r-lewis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Congressman John R. Lewis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/maya-lin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Maya Lin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/george-lucas/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George Lucas</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/norman-mailer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Norman Mailer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/peyton-manning/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peyton Manning</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wynton-marsalis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wynton Marsalis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-c-mather-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John C. Mather, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/johnny-mathis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Mathis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ernst-mayr-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernst Mayr, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/willie-mays/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willie Mays</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-mccourt/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank McCourt</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/david-mccullough/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David McCullough</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/audra-mcdonald/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Audra McDonald</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-william-h-mcraven/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral William H. McRaven, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/w-s-merwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">W. S. Merwin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James A. Michener</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/marvin-minsky-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Marvin Minsky, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mario-j-molina-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mario J. Molina, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/n-scott-momaday-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">N. Scott Momaday, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/story-musgrave/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Story Musgrave, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ralph-nader/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ralph Nader</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/peggy-noonan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peggy Noonan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jessye-norman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jessye Norman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/tommy-norris/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Thomas R. Norris, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/joyce-carol-oates/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joyce Carol Oates</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/pierre-omidyar/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pierre Omidyar</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/larry-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/arnold-palmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Arnold Palmer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leon-panetta/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Panetta</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/rosa-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rosa Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/suzan-lori-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzan-Lori Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/linus-pauling/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linus C. Pauling, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/shimon-peres/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Shimon Peres</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/itzhak-perlman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Itzhak Perlman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-david-petraeus/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General David H. Petraeus, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sidney-poitier/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sidney Poitier</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-colin-l-powell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General Colin L. Powell, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/harold-prince/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Harold Prince</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/venki-ramakrishnan-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Venki Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lord-martin-rees/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Martin Rees</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lloyd-richards/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lloyd Richards</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sally-ride-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally K. Ride, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonny-rollins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonny Rollins</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/anthony-romero/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony Romero</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-rosenquist/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Rosenquist</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/pete-rozelle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pete Rozelle</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/bill-russell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Bill Russell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/albie-sachs/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Albie Sachs</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/oliver-sacks-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Oliver Sacks, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jonas-salk-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jonas Salk, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frederick-sanger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick Sanger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/george-b-schaller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George B. Schaller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/barry-scheck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Barry Scheck</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/richard-evans-schultes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard Evans Schultes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-h-norman-schwarzkopf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-schwarzman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen A. Schwarzman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/glenn-t-seaborg-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/neil-sheehan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Neil Sheehan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-alan-shepard-jr/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-slim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Slim Helú</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frederick-w-smith/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick W. Smith</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-sondheim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Sondheim</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonia Sotomayor</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wole-soyinka/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wole Soyinka</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/esperanza-spalding/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Esperanza Spalding</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/martha-stewart/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Martha Stewart</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-james-b-stockdale/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Hilary Swank</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/amy-tan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Amy Tan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Kiri Te Kanawa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/edward-teller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward Teller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/twyla-tharp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Twyla Tharp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wayne Thiebaud</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lt-michael-e-thornton-usn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Michael E. Thornton, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20190111075523/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/charles-h-townes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Charles H. 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