Sonia Sotomayor quotes - page 2

The first case I sat on... was Citizens United. Talk about being thrown in. Needless to say, if I was scared before, I was terrified. (Sonia Sotomayor)
All judges have cases that touch our passions deeply, but we all struggle constantly with remaining impartial. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
Reaching a conclusion has to start with what the parties are arguing, but examining in all situations carefully the facts as they prove them or not prove them, the record as they create it, and then making a decision that is limited to what the law says on the facts before the judge. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
Even though Article IV of the Constitution says that treaties are the 'supreme law of the land', in most instances they're not even law. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I barely saw my mother, and the mom I saw was often angry and unhappy. The mother I grew up with is not the mother I know now. It's not the mother she became after my father died, and that's been the greatest prize of my life. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
When you come from a background like mine, where you're entering worlds that are so different than your own, you have to be afraid. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
In examining witnesses, I learned to ask general questions so as to elicit details with powerful sensory associations: the colors, the sounds, the smells that lodge an image in the mind and put the listener in the burning house. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
Since I have difficulty defining merit and what merit alone means - and in any context, whether it's judicial or otherwise - I accept that different experiences in and of itself, bring merit to the system. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
Much of the uncertainty of law is not an unfortunate accident: it is of immense social value. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever. (Sonia Sotomayor)
We apply law to facts. We don't apply feelings to facts. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
We educated, privileged lawyers have a professional and moral duty to represent the underrepresented in our society, to ensure that justice exists for all, both legal and economic justice. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I have never, ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
You can't be a minority in this society without having someone express disapproval about affirmative action. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
My job as a prosecutor is to do justice. And justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and an innocent man is not. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences. (Sonia Sotomayor)
I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn't have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
I am a New Yorker, and 7:00 A.M. is a civilized hour to finish the day, not to start it. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor
If the system is broken, my inclination is to fix it rather than to fight it. I have faith in the process of the law, and if it is carried out fairly, I can live with the results, whatever they may be. View quote
Sonia Sotomayor