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Adversity spurred me instead of knocking me down
Sonia Sotomayor is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. She has the distinction of being its first justice of Hispanic heritage and its third female justice. During her tenure on the Supreme Court, Sotomayor has been identified with concern for the rights of defendants, calls for reform of the criminal justice system, and making impassioned dissents on issues of race, gender and ethnic identity.
Sotomayor was born in The Bronx, New York City, to Puerto Rican-born parents. Her father, who struggled with alcoholism, died when Sonia was nine. She was subsequently raised by her mother, with help from her grandmother. Diagnosed with diabetes as a girl, Sotomayor was a superb student who managed to excel in her studies while working at after-school jobs to help support her family. Sotomayor has said that “Adversity spurred me instead of knocking me down.”
