School-aged Sotomayor

As Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor tours the country to promote her new autobiography, which recounts her humble upbringing in the Bronx, she’s also mourning the closing of her childhood school.

The Blessed Sacrament School, one of several Catholic schools scheduled to be shuttered for budgetary reasons, was a haven for budding Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor told the New York Times.

“I’m heartbroken,” Sotomayor said about the closing. “You know how important those eight years were? It’s symbolic of what it means for all our families, like my mother, who were dirt-poor. She watched what happened to my cousins in public school and worried if we went there, we might not get out. So she scrimped and saved. It was a road of opportunity for kids with no other alternative.”

Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor, in the middle of a media blitz and tour to promote her new autobiography, hasn’t limited her interview topics to her tough upbringing and legal career. Speaking at an event in New York this week, the Supreme Court justice was also giving out fitness tips.

“As Latinos, we do a lot of salsa, and that’s healthy,” Sotomayor said, according to the Huffington Post.  She even pointed to fitness trends such as the Latin dance-inspired zumba as proof. “What do you think they’re doing in the gyms right now?” she asked. “They’re doing salsa!”

The media blitz for Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor’s new memoir – in bookstores today – is in full swing, and our sister company Federal News Service has the scoop on the justice’s appearance this week on NBC’s Today Show. Sotomayor hit on everything from her childhood struggles and the issue of affirmative action to her current dating life. Read the rest of this entry »

In recent years we’ve seen Justices Antonin G. Scalia and Stephen G. Breyer making appearing across the country and speaking to the media about their latest books. Now it’s Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor’s turn to hit the road in the role of author.

Sotomayor has a series of speaking events and media appearances that will begin this month as she promotes her upcoming memoir, “My Beloved World,” which hits bookshelves next week. But the book tour of Sotomayor, who counts celebrities like Jennifer Lopez as personal friends, will have a little added pizzazz. In one stop Sotomayor will appear with actress Eva Longoria, and the justice will also sit for an interview on “60 Minutes.”

While tradition dictates that the chief justice of the United States swears in the president during inauguration ceremonies, the vice president gets to choose the person who administers his oath.

And Vice President Joe Biden’s choice is Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor.

In a statement, Biden called it “one of the greatest pleasures of my career to be involved in her selection to the court.”

“From the first time I met her, I was impressed by Justice Sotomayor’s commitment to justice and opportunity for all Americans, and she continues to exemplify those values today. Above all, I’m happy for the chance to be sworn in by a friend – and someone I know will continue to do great things,” Biden said.

The BLT Blog’s Tony Mauro points out that female Supreme Court justices have been a popular choice among vice presidents on inauguration day. Sandra Day O’Connor swore in Dan Quayle, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg administered the oath to Al Gore.

In her upcoming biography, Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor writes that she occasionally feels regret over one title she has never had: mother.

According to the Associated Press, Sotomayor writes in “My Beloved World,” which will be released in English and Spanish next month, that decision not to have or adopt children was based in part on the fact that she is diabetic, a condition she’s had since childhood. One several occasions during her life, she writes according to the AP, the disease caused her to lose consciousness and be found by a college roommate, a client, and even a friend’s dog. But, she writes, such episodes were never frequent and have been rare in the last decade.

Sotomayor is expected to start making press appearances to promote the book soon, including an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” next month.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was recently honored by Glamour magazine, and on Monday, Ginsburg brought some glamour to the bench.

Those who attend Supreme Court oral arguments regularly already know that Ginsburg has a fondness for accessorizing – she has an array of white lace jabots that she likes to switch up from day to day to add some flair to her black robe. But on Monday, Ginsburg made a fashion statement with a new piece of bling around her neck.

The folks at the Washington Post’s Reliable Source column got the scoop on Ginsburg’s new bauble. It was a Banana Republic lace bib necklace that Ginsburg received in the gift bag at Glamour’s “Women of the Year” awards.

Perhaps Ginsburg was emboldened to make bolder fashion statements on the bench by her colleague Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who can usually be seen donning shiny dangling earrings and cuff bracelets while grilling attorneys in the courtroom. Lately Sotomayor also has been wearing a more tailored, slimmer fitting black robe during arguments instead of the traditional pleated tent-like style.

According to Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor, being a princess is not a career.

The justice recently made a trip to Sesame Street – where she’s becoming a frequent visitor – to give career advice to Abby.

“So, simplify your response for me,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Justice Department attorney Sarah Harrington during oral arguments Tuesday in the case Smith v. U.S.

“Okay,” Harrington began. “Well, if you look at §3282, which is the statute of limitations, it says that the crime –”

“That’s not a simple response,” Sotomayor interjected, drawing laughs from the onlookers inside the Supreme Court.

This week Sotomayor landed on the board of our ongoing tally of the term’s Funniest Justice in a big way, earning three laughs and tying Justice Antonin Scalia as the funniest justice of the week. Here are the latest standings:

Justice Antonin G. Scalia: 6

Justice Stephen G. Breyer: 5

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.: 3

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy: 3

Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor: 3

Justice Elena Kagan: 1

Justice Clarence Thomas: 0

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 0

Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr.: 0

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is apparently a V.I.V. – a very important voter.

According to DCist [hat tip to How Appealing], voters who – like most in the Washington area and across the country – stood in long queues yesterday to cast their ballots in the U Street neighborhood witnessed the Supreme Court justice being ushered in to do her civic duty without waiting in line. Sotomayor cast her ballot before heading to the Court hear oral arguments in two criminal cases yesterday. (More on those here and here)

As we’ve reported before, Sotomayor bought a home in the popular Northwest Washington neighborhood earlier this year.