May 26, 2009 was a day of history. Not many people know or even care about this day, but it was the very first day a Latina was nominated for the Supreme Court. That very woman made a huge impact in the United States of America but not many people show her the respect she deserves, that very woman is Sonia Maria Sotomayor. Sonia Sotomayor was born on the 25th of June in 1954. Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx of New York, her parents(Juan and Celina Baez Sotomayor )were Puerto Rican Descents that had moved to New York City to raise their children.Sotomayor was the elder of her younger sibling Juan Sotomayor. Since Mrs. Sotomayor was a nurse at a methadone clinic and her father was a tool-and-die worker the Sotomayor's lived on a compact …show more content…
After Sonia passed the bar she immediately started as an assistant direct attorney in Manhattan working as trial lawyer under the supervision of Robert Morgenthau. Sotomayor was responsible for prosecuting robbery, assault, murder, police brutality and child pornography cases. In 1984, Sotomayor entered private practice, being a partner at the commercial litigation firm Pavia & Harcourt, she specialized in intellectual property litigation. She moved from associate to partner at the firm in 1988. While she climbed the charts, Sotomayor also worked on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New York City Campaign Finance Board and the State of New York Mortgage Agency. Sotomayor's work at these agencies caught the eyes of the Senators Ted Kennedy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who were responsible for all of her actions as District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York City. President George H.W. Bush nominated her for the position in 1992, that was confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1992. When she joined the court, she was its youngest judge. On her 43rd birthday, June 25, 1997, she was nominated for the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton. She was confirmed by the Senate that
The Supreme Court has the highest authority in this country and throughout its existence the diversity of people in it had been lacking. On May 29, 2009 a new Supreme Court Justice was nominated, she was the first Latina to be appointed to this position and eventually was confirmed by the senate. Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination speech was a moment that brought joy to many Latinos who often did not feel represented in higher positions of authority in this country. She was the first to break the norm for this and in the speech she delivered to the country via new stations she was able to present to the country what qualified her as a Supreme Court Justice. Former President Barack Obama presented Sotomayor as a person
“Honoring our heritage. Building our culture.” What can you picture in your head while reading this? Do feel honored? Maybe special? Probably phenomenal? Well, this year's Hispanic Heritage month’s theme has brought to us a meaningful, and inspiring perspective on how Latinos are becoming more honored. Not only honored by their country, and other Spanish countries, but also being honored by the United States. Hispanics have impacted our nation through their solid responsibility to family, confidence, and diligent work. They have put in the effort and time to represent their Latino/a background. They have improved and formed our national character by looking back at what their ancestors would do. These hispanics deserve the right to be honored
Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to replace Supreme Court Justice Souter on June 1, 2009 by President Barack Obama. After extensive Senate hearings by the Committee on the Judiciary, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by the United States Senate with a 68 to 31 vote on August 6th, 2009. (Supreme Court) Although it was clear that Republicans had no intention to filibuster the nomination, partisan lines were clearly divided both during the committee hearings and illustrated in the Senate votes. However, due to the Democratic Majority in the Senate, it was clear that Sotomayor would be confirmed. During the hearings, Sotomayor answered the questions honestly, eloquently, and cautiously. During questioning, it was evident which issues were most important to the Senate: impartiality, activism and the ‘wise’ Latina.
"I am a positive person, I never think of the glass as half empty. I just keep pushing forward" Rosie Perez the proud woman who declared this quote is a person who overcame many obstacles and difficulties to bring success in her life, despite her many hardships and traumatizing past.
When asked to write about an important activist who has demonstrated protest, I immediately drifted towards a Hispanic and/or feminist activist. Various names came across my mind initially such as Cesar Chavez and Joan Baez but as a later discussion in class concluded, there are numerous others who are rarely highlighted for their activism and struggles, which lead to me researching more. In my research I came across Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who I felt was an underdog and brushed over activist in the Hispanic community.
“Si se puede”, Is something Ceasar Chavez said when he wanted to inspire people and change their lives. Cesar Chavez changed farm workers lives by getting them new rights,better pay, and got them safer working conditions. “Mother” Jones helped the rights of factory workers, but the laws she wanted to be passed didn’t happen until a few years after her death. They both helped workers rights but Mother Jones did a little more than Cesar Chavez because she physically helped the factory workers by getting them safer working conditions so they did not get hurt. In this essay i will be talking about who helped the most and i will also be comparing them both.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the United States. Since its creation in 1789, 112 justices have served on the Court. Of these 112 justices, four of them are women. President Ronald Reagan appointed the first female justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, in 1981; she served for 25 years. Sandra Day O’Connor changed the face of women in politics. Men dominated the Supreme Court yet Sandra Day O’Connor made strides in feminist politics and women's rights by breaking the glass ceiling in the legal profession. She offered an unbiased point of view on many topics including abortion rights, the death penalty, and affirmative action.
Sandra Day O'Connor Perhaps no other jurist could have come to the Supreme Court under greater expectations. When President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981 to be the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, he did so to keep a campaign promise. O'Connor's nomination was quick to draw criticism from both the political people left and right. Conservatives blamed her lack of federal judicial experience and claimed that she didn't have any constitutional knowledge.
Shirley Chisholm was a crucial figure in Black politics, and the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She defeated civil rights leader James Farmer on November 5, 1968, and served 7 terms in the House of Representatives till 1982. Also, she was the first woman and person of color to run for President. Chisholm is a model of independence and honesty and has championed several issues including civil rights, aid for the poor, and women 's rights.
Women’s equality has made huge advancements in the United States in the past decade. One of the most influential persons to the movement has been a woman named Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ruth faced gender discrimination many times throughout her career and worked hard to ensure that discrimination based on a person’s gender would be eliminated for future generations. Ginsburg not only worked to fight for women’s equality but fought for the rights of men, as well, in order to show that equality was a human right’s issue and not just a problem that women faced. Though she faced hardships and discrimination, Ruth never stopped working and thanks to her equality is a much closer reality than it was fifty years ago. When Ruth first started her journey in law, women were practically unheard of as lawyers; now three women sit on the bench of the highest court in the nation.
The tragedies Ruth Ginsburg experienced throughout her upbringing had a lasting contribution to her life today. In 1933, she was born to Russian-Jewish immigrants amidst the Great Depression. In the hardships of the Great Depression, she lost both her older sister and mother as a child. This time was one of great difficulty for Ginsburg; however, she withstood this adversity and gained invaluable life lessons giving her the opportunity to attain unprecedented levels of success. After coping with her losses, she left to attend Harvard Law School and later Columbia Law School, two world-renowned schools of law. At this period in history, however, both men who dominated this field and who ran the schools discriminated Ginsburg based on her gender (“Ruth Bader Ginsburg”). At one point during the school day, the Dean of Harvard Law approached her and said, “How do you justify taking a spot from a qualified man?” (Galanes). Despite this prejudice, Ginsburg continued to excel in her schooling where she later graduated as top of her class at Columbia (“Ruth Bader Ginsburg”).
Lyndon B. Johnson's, a man who was raised from humble beginnings was able to rise up in politics from a Representative, to a Senator, to Vice President, and finally becoming our nation’s 36th President. Starting off his presidency with tragedy due to John F. Kennedy’s assassination, he took the position of extending the legacy of JFK’s visions and making them his own during his time in office. Although Lyndon B. Johnson is not viewed as one of our greatest presidents due to his foreign policies and involvement in the Vietnam War, his achievements in domestic policies in my opinion has had the greatest developmental impact on politics in the US since 1945.
Sojourner Truth was a Civil Rights Activist, and a Women’s Rights Activist 1797-1883. Sojourner Truth was known for spontaneous speech on racial equal opportunities. Her speech “Aint I a Women? “Was given to an Ohio Women’s Rights convention in 1851. Sojourner Truth’s was a slave in New York, where she was born and raised and was sold into slavery at an early age (bio, 2016)
There are many people who have contributed to society as a whole, men and women both. Some have contributed much more than others. One of them being Sandra Day O’Connor. I did not know too much about Sandra Day O’Connor until I read her background history. She was a very significant role in history; she was the first woman to be appointed as a justice in Supreme Court. She proved to the country that it does not matter what your gender is, she showed everyone that she had what it took to make it in the world. She was a very successful woman and a great inspiration to women at this time in the world. Obviously women had a hard time getting to that status with women being looked at as inferior to men. Her dedication, determination, and the fact she changed history drastically is a reason I chose to write my final over her.
Civil rights activist and writer, Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. At the age of three, Angelou witnessed a divorce between her parents and was sent to live with her grandmother. At the age of eight, she was removed from her comfortable lifestyle