Sonia Sotomayor Speaks Candidly About Confirmation Hearings

By Michael Lopez

Looking back, July 2009 proved to be a difficult time for Sonia Sotomayor. Before getting appointed to her historic post, America’s fist Latina Supreme Court Justice had to deal with some pretty invasive questions.  Sonia recently spoke up about the difficulties of two-week confirmation process.

"There were private questions I was offended by,” Sonia said during a panel at the Northwestern University School of Law. “I was convinced they were not asking those questions of the male applicants."

It does seem rather odd for senators to inquire about the dating habits of a female Supreme Court Justice nominee when they don't ask the same questions of male nominees. But that’s exactly what happened, and Sonia believed it to be a double standard.

"I don't like people talking about my private life," Sotomayor said. "[I have] many single male colleagues who are judges who date often, bring dates to court affairs and nobody ever talks about them. I knew if I did the same thing, my morals would be questioned. So I'm very careful about whom I date and how public it is."

Speaking to law students and professors, Sonia explained the challenges and benefits of sitting on the Supreme Court. She also offered career advice for upcoming graduates and tips on how one can attract attention from state and federal judges.

But the biggest laugh of the day came when Sotomayor described just how much “information” the Senate Judiciary Committee was hoping to find.

"You know, and I don't mean to be graphic, but one day after I'd been questioned endlessly, for weeks at a time, I was so frustrated by the minutiae of what I was being asked about and said to a friend, 'I think they already know the color of my underwear!”

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Tags Cultura, Education, Politics, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court