Sonia Sotomayor Quotes

I have been a judge for 15 years and I've made up my own mind during all that time.

As, for the safety of society, we commit honest maniacs to Bedlam, so judges should be withdrawn from the bench, whose erroneous biases are leading us to dissolution.

A judge's duty is to grant justice, but his practice is to delay it: even those judges who know their duty adhere to the general practice.

We don't pay judges to think; we pay judges to rule on the law.

Unfortunately, what many people forget is that judges are just lawyers in robes.

That judges of important causes should hold office for life is not a good thing, for the mind grows old as well as the body.

Judges are the weakest link in our system of justice and they are also the most protected.

I will stand up for judges who faithfully follow the law as it is written.

Judge Kavanaugh has an exemplary record of service to the judiciary and the rule of law.

What is it that makes us trust our judges? Their independence in office and manner of appointment.

Nobody wants a judge to be subject to the political whim of the moment.

The hard necessity of bringing the judge on the bench down into the dock has been the peculiar responsibility of the writer in all ages of man.

As a practising lawyer, I was mediocre, but I worked hard as a law officer of the state government and on the private side. After becoming a judge, I maintained a low profile in other activities and concentrated only on judicial work.

Absent scandal, a federal judge can serve for decades on the bench, underscoring the importance of appointing judges who have a proper understanding of their constitutional role.

The judiciary must be independent, impartial and autonomous to impart justice to the people and establish rule of law in the society.

That's what you want in a judge—someone who can take the heat after following his or her own conscience.

If we [Federal judges] would have had to run for election in the South in the 1960's we would have had a new set of judges every year.

It's important not to get into the business of characterizing judges based on one decision they make

I don't suggest we ought to be able to pressure judges, but we ought to be able to criticize [them] when we think they've made a mistake

Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps.

Can the public feel secure with a host of judges elected for a variety of conflicting reasons.

Of all officers of government, those in whose appointment any participation of popular suffrage is the most objectionable are judicial officers.

Republicans say to Democrats, “Your judges are political activists.” The Democrats respond to the Republicans, “Your judges are political activists.” So the public thinks that all judges are political activists and just politicians in robes. This is very worrying.

Judges are objects of aversion and distrust.

The inflexible and uniform adherence to the rights of the constitution and of individuals, which we perceive to be indispensable in the courts of justice, can certainly not be expected from judges who hold their offices by a temporary commission.