“The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn't have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself.”

American lawyer and jurist

Sonia Sotomayor is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 2009. Nominated by President Barack Obama, she became the third woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Her place in American legal history is closely tied to that appointment, which began on August 8, 2009. She is known for her work on the nation’s highest court and for public remarks that often reflect law, justice, and the responsibilities of office.