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Sonia is Born
She is born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City.Juana and Celina are her parents and they are from Puerto Rico. Celina has a younger brother born in 1957. -
Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes
Sonia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age eight, and began taking daily insulin injections. Her father died of heart problems at age 42, when she was nine years old. -
Sonia Sotomayor Graduates from Princeton University
Sonia entered Princeton University on a full scholarship, there were few women students and fewer Latinos. She was awarded an A.B. from Princeton, graduating summa cum laude. -
Graduates from Yale Law School
In the fall of 1976, Sonia entered Yale Law School, again on a scholarship.In 1979, she was awarded a J.D. from Yale Law School. She was admitted to the New York Bar in 1980. -
Joins the Manhattan District Attorney's Office
Sotomayor spent about five years as a prosecutor. -
Begins Tenure as a Federal District Court Judge
New York was officially in line to have the its first Hispanic woman as a Federal District Court judge. -
Rules in a High-Profile Case
Silverman v. Major League Baseball Player Relations Committee.Sotomayor chided baseball owners, saying they had no right to unilaterally eliminate the 20-year-old system of free agents and salary arbitration while bargaining. -
President Bill Clinton Nominates Sonia the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Sotomayor was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which was vacated by J. Daniel Mahoney. -
Sonia is Confirmed to the US Court of Appeals
With a complete Democratic support, and support from 25 Republican senators including Judiciary chair Orrin Hatch, Sonia was confirmed on October 2, 1998, by a 67–29 vote. -
Barack Obama Nominates Sonia to the US Supreme Court
President Obama nominated federal appellate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. -
Begins US Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
The Senate Judiciary Committee began the confirmation hearing of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s first nominee to the Supreme Court. -
Confirmed by the US Senate, Becoming the First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice
Sonia made history when the Senate confirmed her to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor was easily confirmed in a 68-31 vote.
