Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an unusual public apology on Wednesday for comments she made about the background of her conservative colleague, Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In a brief statement released by the court, Sotomayor said she regretted remarks she made during a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law.
“At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate,” she said. “I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”
The apology stems from comments Sotomayor made last week while criticizing an opinion Kavanaugh wrote in an immigration case last year. In that case, Kavanaugh sided with the conservative majority, allowing the Trump administration to conduct broad immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area. Sotomayor dissented.
According to Bloomberg Law, Sotomayor said of Kavanaugh’s reasoning: “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”Kavanaugh grew up in an affluent Maryland suburb, while Sotomayor was raised in a public housing project in the Bronx by parents from Puerto Rico.
In his opinion, Kavanaugh had noted that undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles area often gather in certain locations for day labor, frequently work in construction, and may not speak English — factors he said could support reasonable suspicion for stops by law enforcement.
Kavanaugh explained how illegal immigrants often meet in specific areas of Los Angeles to find jobs as temporary laborers, regularly performing construction tasks, and many do not speak English; therefore, these factors provide reasonable suspicion for law enforcement to stop them.
The Supreme Court is currently in the final stretch of its term, with several major rulings expected before it adjourns at the end of June.
