Undergraduate Academic Affairs

February 12, 2014

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to visit UW in March

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

On March 10, 2014, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will visit Seattle to talk about My Beloved World, her memoir chronicling her journey from a housing project in the Bronx to her service as a federal judge in New York and ultimately as a Supreme Court Justice. While in Seattle, she will participate in two interviews, one for students at the University of Washington and one presented by University Book Store at Town Hall for the general public.

Update: This event is SOLD OUT.

If you do not have a ticket, standby seating for UW students, faculty and staff will begin 10 minutes before the event begins, as space permits. The standby line will open at 12:00 p.m. You must have your Husky Card for entry. Please review the event notices on this page for other important information.

Picture of book cover of My Beloved World

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will discuss her life story, as told in her memoir, My Beloved World.

At the University of Washington, Justice Sotomayor will be interviewed by Provost Ana Mari Cauce about the themes and ideas presented in My Beloved World and the experiences that shaped her into who she is today. This event happens from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the Husky Union Building Ballroom; doors open at 1:00 p.m. UW undergraduates have first priority for tickets. Remaining tickets will be available for UW graduate and professional students, faculty and staff. Bags, purses, cameras and laptops will not be permitted into the venue.

Ticket Availability

Tickets for UW undergraduates will be available at the HUB’s information desk beginning February 25. Based on availability, tickets for UW graduate and professional students will be available beginning February 27, and tickets for UW staff and faculty will be available at the HUB information desk beginning March 4. All students, staff and faculty must show their UW Husky Card in order to get a ticket. To gain entry to the event, students, staff and faculty must show their ticket and UW Husky Card at the door. All tickets are general admission; no reserved seating. Visit this page for more information about attending the event.

Complimentary copies of My Beloved World are available for student ticket-holders in Mary Gates Hall 120. Show your ticket to get a copy of the book (while supplies last).

University Book Store is proud to host Justice Sotomayor at Town Hall for a discussion of her memoir. She’ll discuss her childhood, law school days, inspirations and eventual appointment to the Supreme Court. The 7:30 p.m. talk will be followed by a brief Q&A. This event is open to the public and is located in Town Hall’s Great Hall, 1119 8th Ave.

About Justice Sotomayor

Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court. She grew up in the Bronx, New York, where her father fixed radiators and her mother was a night nurse. As a child, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and learned how to give herself her daily insulin shot. Her father, an alcoholic, passed away when she was nine. Her only professional role models were those she saw on TV (including the TV lawyer Perry Mason). Despite these early obstacles, through determination and grit, she excelled. Sotomayor was her high school valedictorian, graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1976 and from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was editor of the Yale Law Review. She served as an assistant district attorney in the New York County’s District Attorney’s Office and then at the law firm of Pavia & Harcourt where she was a partner. She served as a judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by the time she was 40. President Barack Obama nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009.