Hon. Sonia Sotomayor to Speak at City College November 18

First Hispanic to serve on U.S. Supreme Court to participate in conversation with President Coico, Professor Di Iorio on her memoir, “My Beloved World”

The Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to serve on the United States Supreme Court, will participate in a conversation about her memoir, “My Beloved World,” 5:30 p.m. Monday, November 18, in The Great Hall, Shepard Hall, on The City College of New York campus. The event, part of the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture series, is free and open to the public.

CCNY President Lisa S. Coico and Professor of English Lyn Di Iorio will join Justice Sotomayor for the discussion about the book, which recounts with extraordinary candor and intimacy her journey from a South Bronx housing project to the federal bench, providing an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

Following the conversation, Justice Sotomayor will answer questions about “My Beloved World” from members of the audience. Pre-signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. They can also be obtained from the City College Bookstore or online.

Justice Sotomayor was born in the Bronx on June 25, 1954. She earned a BA in 1976 from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the university’s highest academic honor. In 1979, she earned a JD from Yale Law School, where she served as an editor of the “Yale Law Journal.”

Justice Sotomayor served as assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office between 1979 and 1984. She then litigated international commercial commerce matters in New York City at Pavia & Harcourt, where she served as an associate and then a partner from 1984 to 1992.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated Sotomayor to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where she served from 1992 to 1998. Subsequently, she served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, from 1998 to 2009.

Nominated by President Barack Obama to be an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, she assumed this role on August 8, 2009, becoming the first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the nation’s highest judicial body.

About the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program
The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program at The City College of New York was initiated in 1996. It provides an opportunity for members of the college community to interact with outstanding scholars, business leaders and government officials, enriching the education experience on campus. The program also is intended to foster communication within the academic community of New York City.  

Samuel Rudin, a civic and philanthropic leader in New York City, was a member of The City College of New York Class of 1918 and went on to a prominent real estate career. The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program is supported by a grant from the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation Inc. Previous Rudin Scholars include Tom Brokaw; Nicholas Kristof; Ric Burns; Walter E. Mosley; the Honorable Mario Cuomo; Walter Cronkite, and Nobel Laureate Dr. Harold E. Varmus.
 
About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.  

Set on a striking, 35-acre hilltop campus in upper Manhattan, CCNY has produced more Nobel laureates than any other public institution in the United States. The College has been touted as one of America's Top Colleges by Forbes, one of the Best Colleges in the United States as well as one of the Best Value Colleges by the Princeton Review, and ranks among U.S. News’ top regional universities.