Sotomayor Champions Civic Engagement, Voices Concerns on Democracy

Justice Sonia Sotomayor urged Americans to engage deeply with Supreme Court opinions and warned of democratic erosion in a wide-ranging ABC News interview Wednesday, promoting her new children’s book and reflecting on the state of U.S. democracy.

The first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court used her ABC News Live Prime appearance to stress that lasting change depends on citizen action, not judicial decree, and encouraged viewers to read both majority and dissenting opinions to understand the Court’s impact on their rights.

Nut Graf

Sotomayor framed her message around the release of Just Shine!, an illustrated tribute to her late mother, using the book tour as a platform to highlight the importance of public engagement and vigilance in preserving constitutional freedoms amid contentious Supreme Court decisions.

Key Highlights

  • Book launch: Sotomayor discussed Just Shine!-available in English and Spanish-emphasizing her mother’s lesson that kindness and civic awareness start at home.
  • Reading opinions: She urged Americans to read every Supreme Court opinion, majority and dissent, to grasp the complexity of cases and guard against oversimplified narratives.
  • Democracy at risk: The justice warned that democracy “does not survive unless the people in it understand that they are the agents of law,” noting public engagement as a bulwark against complacency.
  • Third-term talk: When asked about President Trump’s third-term musings, she reiterated that the 22nd Amendment remains “part of the Constitution” and that its limits stand until legally challenged.

Implications for Citizens

Sotomayor portrayed the emergency “shadow docket” as a process that bypasses normal judicial review, cautioning that unexplained emergency orders can undermine public trust. She stressed that each precedent set by the Court reshapes rights and that citizens must remain informed to hold institutions accountable.

Looking Ahead

As the Supreme Court’s new term looms in October, Sotomayor’s call for active citizenship and thorough analysis of court opinions underscores her broader effort to foster legal literacy and maintain democratic norms beyond the bench.