In a recent address at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor revealed her emotional response to certain court rulings, stating, "There are days that Ive come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried."
The New York Times reported that Sotomayor's comments were in reference to decisions where she did not align with the majority opinion of the predominantly conservative court.
Sotomayor, appointed by former President Obama, expressed her deep sadness and occasional desperation, stating, "There are moments when Im deeply, deeply sad. And there are moments, and yes, even I feel desperation. We all do. But you have to own it. You have to accept it. You have to shed the tears, and then you have to wipe them and get up and fight some more. Thats not a choice.
At the conclusion of the event, Radcliffe Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin presented Sotomayor with the Radcliffe Medal. Harvard Magazine reported that the award recognized the Justice as "a fair-minded arbiter" who "never fails to recognize the human impact of legal decisions."
The Supreme Court's conservative majority was solidified by former President Donald Trump with the confirmations of Neil Gorsuch in April 2017, Brett Kavanaugh in October 2018, and Amy Coney Barrett in October 2020. This majority led to the overturning of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in June 2022, returning the power to regulate and restrict abortion to individual states.
Sotomayor has previously voiced her "frustration" with her conservative colleagues. At a January 2024 event at the University of California, Berkeley, she confessed that it "truly traumatizes" her when conservative justices prevail in cases.
Login