Sotomayor Declares Americans “Agents of Law” in Call for Civic Engagement

Lead Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor urged Americans Wednesday to embrace their role as the driving force of democracy, stressing that lasting change stems from public action, not court rulings.

Nut Graf Speaking in a wide-ranging ABC News interview on Sept. 10, Justice Sotomayor framed citizen engagement as essential to safeguarding constitutional freedoms and bolstering democratic resilience at a time of heightened political division.

A Call to Civic Responsibility Justice Sotomayor emphasized that the Constitution relies on an informed and active populace. “Democracy does not survive unless the people in it understand that they are the agents of law, that they’re the ones that decide the world they live in,” she said, warning that complacency risks eroding hard-won rights.

Echoing Benjamin Franklin’s admonition that a republic survives only if “you can keep it,” she expressed hope in grassroots mobilization. “As long as I see people taking stands and speaking up to affect change, I have hope,” she added.

Critique of Shadow Docket The justice reiterated concerns from her recent blistering dissents over the Supreme Court’s use of its so-called “shadow docket” to issue emergency orders without full briefing. She warned that bypassing the normal appellate process undermines transparency and public trust in the judiciary.

Children as the Future of Reform Beyond her judicial duties, Sotomayor is on a media tour promoting her illustrated children’s book, Just Shine!-a tribute to the lessons of her late mother. She described the project as both therapeutic and aspirational, designed to instill kindness, attention, and civic-mindedness in young readers.

Subhead: Fostering Change Through Education

• Sotomayor underscores reading full opinions to grasp legal reasoning and cautions against reliance on media snippets for understanding court decisions.
• She views parents and educators as vital in shaping engaged citizens, calling children “our future” and the “agents” best equipped to address global challenges.

Justice Sotomayor’s comments come as the new Supreme Court term is set to begin next month. Her message places responsibility for America’s democratic health squarely in the hands of its citizens-urging action over apathy to secure the Constitution’s promise for generations to come.