Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States and the third woman. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in May of 2009 and assumed the role in August of 2009. She was born in the Bronx during 1954 to Juan and Celina Baez Sotomayor. Her parents are of Puerto Rican descent. Her father died when she was nine and her mother assumed the role of single parent. Sonia 's mother made sure to instill in her children the importance of higher education and learning English. Her mother made many sacrifices to make sure her kids would have a better life. When talking about Sotomayor 's mother Antonia Felix writes " Celina 's ability to forge a strong sense of self in her children would guarantee their …show more content…
One of the Supreme Court Cases Justice Sotomayor has served on was the Obergefell v. Hodges. Which with a 5-4 ruling made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Justice Anthony wrote the majority opinion and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined him in agreeance. She has been involved in previous cases dealing with discrimination against LGBTQ community. One case dealt with a gay man being teased at work for not being a manly man. Sonia along with two other judges agreed that he entitled to a trial based on his claim of a hostile work environment. When Sonia was appointed a Justice most people thought she might be the balance needed in the Supreme Court for equal rights for the LGBTQ community. When talking about same-sex marriage she has said "How does withholding marriage from one group — same-sex couples — increase the value to the other group?" (Liptak). I agreed with the ruling from the Supreme Court because I did not feel as if the government could tell you who you could and could not marry. Yes, most religions are against same-sex marriage but that religion does not speak for everybody. Most people are against same sex marriage because of religion. Research is showing that most people do not even believe in religion at all anymore. I agree with Sotomayor when she says how does withholding marriage from LGBTQ community increase value to another. While I definitely understand why people were upset I believe it was step forward in the equal rights when it come to the LGBTQ community. There is definitely much more progress to be made but with time, I believe it
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Show MoreAccording to the article “Judicial Appointments: Checks and Balances in Practice”, written by Rachel Brand, she states that:
Born on June 25, 1954, Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history. Her parents, Juan and Celina (Baez) Sotomayor, who both had Puerto Rican descendants, moved the South Bronx area of New York City where they raised their children. Losing her father at the age of 9, Sotomayor and her siblings were raised by their hardworking mother. Celina Baez was a strong woman who made great sacrifices to buy her children a set of encyclopedias, to give her children a higher education and motivated them to become fluent in English. Sonia’s dream to become a judge sparked when she watched an episode of the television show Perry Mason.
The four judges with the dissenting opinion were Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, and William Brenan. The five judges who made the majority decision were Anthony M. Kennedy, Bryon R. White, Antonin Scalia and Sandra
Obergefell v. Hodges is one of the most important Supreme Court rulings to date. This case, by a 5-4 decision, legalized same-sex marriage and established that the 14th amendment, by both the Due Process Clause and Equal Protections Clause, guarantees this right. The Supreme Court for a long time exercised judicial modesty in terms of cases involving same sex marriage by allowing the decisions to be made by the states. However, with some states recognizing same-sex marriages and others not, things began to get complicated when couples would move to other states and not get the same benefits as married couples and other similar situations that caused issues. However, when the Supreme Court took this case and ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states, it was a prime example of the court using judicial activism.
Huerta’s mother worked two jobs to provide for her family. Huerta would take music lessons and dance lessons. She was also a Girl Scout and won second place in a national essay contest. At school, Huerta encountered racism because of her background. She was accused numerous times of stealing other student’s work due to the teacher believing she was
Sonia Sotomayor was the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in U.S. history. She was nominated by president Barack Obama on May 26, 2009. Sotomayor is a women who got nominated by Barack Obama. She graduated from Yale Law School and passed the bar in 1980. She became a U.S. District Court Judge in 1992 and was elevated to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998.
Burwell, Obamacare, and Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex marriage. In King v. Burwell, Sotomayor was recognized as an influential voice, having opposed the arguments that opposed the law. In Obergefell v. Hodges, Sotomayor joined the other justices in passing the same-sex marriage act nationally. I believe because of Sotomayor’s background, being a minority and growing up in Bronx New York, has made her to be a voice for those who are afraid to be heard. America is a melting pot of many cultures and nationalities, our government should reflect the
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was born on June 25th 1954 in the South Bronx area of New York to parents Juan and Celina Baez Sotomayor. Her parents who were of Puerto Rican descent moved their family to New York for a better opportunity for their children. Her parents worked hard to make a living her mother was a nurse a methadone clinic and her father worked with his hands and the family lived modestly within their means. Justice Sotomayor was diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of seven and began taking insulin shot’s, shortly after her father died in 1963 when she was nine, leaving her mother as a single parent, during her upbringing her mother Celina placed a huge emphasis on the importance of education, pushing her children to become
Barbara Jordan is one of Texas History’s most brilliant pioneers. She is most well-known for fighting her way into the political arena as Texas’ first black, female Senator. She paved the way for black men and women in politics, never letting anyone or anything get in the way of her dreams. For her hard work and tireless effort, she was rewarded with recognition in the political arena and reverence, even in death, being given the highest honor of burial in the Texas State Cemetery amongst Texas leaders like Ma and Pa Ferguson, Ann Richards and Stephen F. Austin. Barbara Jordan overcame a meager beginning and set out to prove she could be somebody, she used her voice to make a name for herself, never tired of fighting for education and equality,
J Thomas is the second African- American to sit on the bench, he is known to the public for his lack of interest to participate in oral arguments. Thomas has voted often with Justice Antonio Scalia and Justice Williams Rehnquist, which all three Justice led in conservative views. (Sunnivie Brydum, Advocate, 2015) He has not asked any questions or made any comments since 2006, while other Justice give their opinions on issues and comments on others. (Oyez).
During the zenith of the Civil Rights Movement, Thurgood Marshall pushed for equal rights for all. Born to a railroad porter and a teacher in Baltimore, Thurgood Marshall became one of the most revered figures in American history for his vehemence for equality. Throughout his career as legal counsel for the for the NAACP, he guided the litigation that helped destroy the legal foundation of segregation under the Jim Crow Laws. In addition, he became the first African American Supreme Court justice: an emblem of social change. He deviated from social norms at the time by having an untiring willingness to dissent, as Thurgood Marshall argued thirty-two cases before the United States Supreme Court; many of such cases became landmark cases for the
Being a judge you have to be able to prove your point and why you made the decision with statistics and proofs, Sotomayor became capable of disagreeing with other in a non-defensive way. Sotomayor pathway to the Supreme Court was complicated based on a controversial speech where she was taken as being racist towards white people. Sotomayor was able to win this case by analysis and record of her doing the same speech about “wise Latina woman” (Jeffery 2). Sotomayor was able to adapt to the world that she was facing. Sotomayor is an example of capitalization learning, she was able to build on the strengths that she was naturally given.
Condoleezza Rice You may ask why would I choose Condoleezza Rice? I choose Condoleezza Rice because not just as an African-American she sets the high but, as a woman she lets it be known the sky is the limit. She has held powerful positions that many believe are more suitable for men. As a woman she has beaten all odds. Being a woman who displays such strength, confidence, and power can be a threat to most men.
In the opening of Sotomayor’s speech, she uses a grateful tone towards her friends, family, but more specifically her mother. In the beginning of the speech, Sotomayor is shown to be very humble by thanking her family, friends, and the president for helping her become a nominee to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is even more grateful to her mother for teaching her the idea of education. Sotomayor states, “I am here, as many of you noticed, because of her aspirations and sacrifices for both my brother and me” (Sotomayor).
At the tender age of 16, Jon Roberts without having a mother or father, he moved from place to place and later became an enforcer for a loan-sharking operation which was run by his uncle in Staten Island, New York. He was arrested for dealing cocaine and taken to the tombs in New York City. After being arrested for kidnapping, Roberts was given the opportunity to join the military to have his criminal record expunged as he served with the 101st Airborne for a period of one (1) year in Vietnam with the condition of being honorably discharged. Due to an explosion Roberts was injured and had to have a metal plate in his head. Roberts worked for members of the New York Mafia as an enforcer and club manager.