Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to speak at Stanford

Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, will speak Friday, March 10, in Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium.

Sotomayor, who is the first Supreme Court justice of Hispanic heritage, will be in conversation with M. Elizabeth Magill, dean of Stanford Law School.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Image credit: Courtesy of the Collections of the Supreme Court of the United States)

“We are thrilled to welcome Justice Sotomayor to Stanford,” Magill said. “She is an exceptional jurist and public servant and is a hero and role model for many of our students.”

Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will open the event, which is presented by the Office of the President, Stanford Law School and the senior class presidents for the Class of 2017. Students will be able to submit questions for the justice ahead of the event.

Sotomayor joined the Supreme Court in 2009 after being nominated by former President Barack Obama.

She is the third woman to become a Supreme Court justice. She is now one of three women on the Supreme Court, along with Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who delivered Stanford’s annual “Rathbun Lecture on a Meaningful Life” in February.

Before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998 to 2009. She was also nominated by former President George H. W. Bush to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where she presided from 1992 to 1998.

Originally from the Bronx neighborhood in New York City, Sotomayor, 62, graduated from Yale Law School and began her career as an assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where she practiced law from 1979 to 1984. Afterward, she entered private practice and litigated international commercial matters as an associate and then partner of Pavia & Harcourt for eight years.

Lottery details

A ticket will be required to access the event. The event is open to current Stanford faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students with a valid Stanford University ID (SUNet ID) who have a ticket.

A ticket lottery for the event will open at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and will close at noon Monday, Feb. 27. During that time, those with a SUNet ID can enter the lottery on the Stanford Ticket Office website. Only one lottery entry for one ticket per person will be allowed.

The direct link to the ticket reservation page is here.

Individuals will be notified by email on Tuesday, Feb. 28, as to whether they were selected to receive a ticket. Individuals will then have to pick up their tickets in person and present their Stanford ID card at the Stanford Ticket Office between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, March 6, or Tuesday, March 7. Tickets not picked up during that time will be forfeited. The Ticket Office is located on the second floor of Tresidder Memorial Union.

Additional event details

The conversation with Sotomayor will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10, in Memorial Auditorium. The doors will open at 12:15 p.m. Ticket holders will be required to present their current Stanford ID card at the door and their ticket as a condition of entry. Seating is general admission for those selected in the lottery.

• The complimentary tickets are non-transferable and not for sale or re-sale.
• No cameras, flash photography or recording devices will be permitted.
• Attendees will be asked to turn off all cell phones, pagers and alarms.
• Food and drinks are prohibited in Memorial Auditorium.
• Bags are discouraged and will be subject to search.

For more information, visit the Stanford Ticket Office website.