Monday, September 22, 2025
Celebrating - Sonia Maria Sotomayor
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I am celebrating Sonia Maria Sotomayor, who is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She is the first Hispanic Justice and the third woman to serve on the court. (1)
President George H.W. Bush nominated Sotomayor to a seat on the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York on November 27, 1991. She was confirmed by unanimous consent of the full Senate on August 11th.(1)
President Bill Clinton nominated her to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. There were some objections from republicans and blocks put in place. However, she was confirmed on October 2, 1998, by a 67-29 vote within the Senate.(1)
President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009. On August 6th, 2009, she was confirmed by the Senate 68-31.
I think she brings an exceptional balance to the court because she has a much wider range of experiences than the other justices.
1. Sonia Sotomayor - Wikipedia
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to celebrate José M. Hernández, who is a Mexican-American Engineer and astronaut. The other day, while scrolling on my social media, I came across a film clip from the movie 
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I am celebrating Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, who changed California and set a legal precedent ending De Jure Segregation in the United States(1). In 1946, they tried to enroll their children in the majority white school near their home, and their kids were sent to a segregated school for Hispanic students. They filed a lawsuit, arguing that segregating children based on ethnicity was a violation of the 14th Amendment. They won their case and the appeal. Governor Earl Warren then moved to desegregate all public schools and other public spaces. (1, 2)
Their daughter, Sylvia Mendez, received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2010 for her role in the struggle for Mexican-American Civil Rights