Sonia Sotomayor - Girl From The Bronx to Supreme Court Judge

October 13, 2026

Sonia Sotomayor had all odds stacked against her. Growing up in the Bronx of New York, There was no way she could have known she would grow up to be the first ever Latina to serve on the supreme court. Born to Celina Baez and Juan Sotomayor, two immigrants from Puerto Rico, Sonia grew up in a catholic school with her younger brother. At the age of eight, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, to then lose her father at the age of nine. It was then that Sotomayor decided she would be an attorney. "I realized that the judge was the most important player in that room," Sotomayor said in a 1998 interview with The Associated Press.
Sotomayor graduated as valedictorian of her class in high-school, then riding the wave of success, Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University. She then attended Yale Law School, graduating in 1979. In 1991, President George H.W Bush nominated her for district court in New York City. Shortly after, Sotomayor saved the 1995 baseball season from the major player strikes occurring at the time. In 1997, Bill Clinton nominated Sotomayor to the second circuit of the U.S. court of appeals.
Finally, President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the supreme court, marking the history books as the first Latina, and also the third female, to hold the supreme court justice position. From a girl with all odds stacked against her, a girl in the Bronx, a girl who had to take insulin injections at the age of eight, to A girl who would now be a source of pride for all those with Latino and Latina heritage. Best put in her own words, "As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls." (Sonia Sotomayor (2013). “My Beloved World”, p.164, Vintage)
Works Cited:
(2009/05/27) Looking at Sotomayor’s 1995 Baseball ruling
(May 27, 2009) Looking Back At Sotomayor's 1995 Baseball Ruling - NPR, Ari Shapiro
(2013) Sonia Sotomayor. “My Beloved World”, p.164, Vintage
(2017-2018) The 2016 Stein Lecture “A conversation between U.S Supreme court Justice Sonia Sotomayor”
The Life and Success of Sonia Sotomayor: Perseverance and Productive Giftedness
"Sonia Sotomayor." Oyez, www.oyez.org/justices/sonia_sotomayor.
Satamayor Sonia, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia