Sonia Joins the Supreme Court

Sonia Joins the Supreme Court

A Big Dream Sonia Sotomayor dreamed of becoming a detective when she was a girl. Doctors told her when she was eight that she had Type 1 diabetes. She had to learn to take good care of herself because this is a serious disease. Doctors told her that she should not be a detective. Sonia changed her dream. She began to dream of becoming a lawyer instead.

Sonia had to try her best to make her dream of being a lawyer come true. Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. They did not have much money to help her pay for school. Sonia's father died when she was nine. Her mother worked more than one job to support Sonia and her brother. Sonia studied hard in school. She tried to be the best student she could be. She made good grades and won many awards. She won scholarships, or money for school, to attend Princeton University and then Yale Law School. She was an excellent student at both schools.

The Dream Comes True After graduating from law school, Sonia got her first job as a lawyer. Her dream had come true. After several years as a lawyer her dream changed again. She dreamed of becoming a judge. Her dream to become a judge came true in 1991.

In May 2009, President Barack Obama had to choose a new justice of the U. S. Supreme Court. One of the justices, David H. Souter, was retiring. The president announced Judge Sotomayor was his choice to replace Justice Souter. The president said she had done a great job as a judge and would be a wise justice.

Picking a New Justice Presidents often choose a justice who agrees with them on important ideas. All U. S. Supreme Court justices have worked as lawyers. Many justices have not been judges in other courts, as Sonia has. A justice can be any age. The youngest justice was 32 when chosen. The oldest was 65 when chosen. Presidents often choose a younger person so he or she can work on the court for many years. Sonia was 55 when President Obama chose her.