Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor revealed at Harvard University on Friday that she often finds herself in tears after some decisions made by the predominately conservative court.
As one of three justices with a left-leaning stance, Sotomayor is a minority among the nine justices, six of whom lean to the right. Chief Justice John Roberts is considered the most centrist of the group.
“There are days that I’ve come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried,” Sotomayor shared.
“There have been those days. And there are likely to be more,” she said further.
Her remarks came shortly after conservative justices overturned a ruling that had declared a South Carolina congressional district as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
“There are moments when I’m deeply, deeply sad,” Sotomayor admitted. “There are moments when, yes, even I feel desperation. We all do. But you have to own it, you have to accept it, you have to shed the tears, and then you have to wipe them and get up.”
The court became more conservative with the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. However, President Joe Biden countered this by appointing left-leaning Justice Kentanji Brown-Jackson in 2022 following Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement.
Former President Barack Obama appointed Sotomayor in 2009 after the retirement of former Justice David Souter. Her appointment marked a historic moment as she became the third woman and the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.
