Sotomayor Headlines GWU Event, Champions ‘Just Shine!’ Message

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined Judge David Tatel in Washington DC on September 18, 2025, at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium to discuss their new memoirs and inspire civic engagement.

In a sold-out evening event, Sotomayor and Tatel highlighted the role of personal resilience and public service in strengthening democracy, underscoring the importance of community and education in upholding the rule of law.

Event Highlights:

• Discussion centered on Sotomayor’s Just Shine! How to Be a Better You and Tatel’s Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice
• Audience of families, students and community members explored themes of empathy, perseverance and civic responsibility
• Justice Sotomayor signed books for attendees following the talk

The turnout reflected broad public interest in firsthand insights from the only Latina on the Supreme Court and a veteran federal judge. Tickets, priced at $5 for GWU community members and inclusive of book options for purchase, sold out in advance. Sotomayor shared anecdotes about overcoming personal adversity and urged listeners to channel individual talents toward positive societal change.

Emphasizing education’s pivotal role, she recounted early experiences debating in grammar school and called on institutions to foster civic literacy. Tatel complemented her remarks with reflections on his career navigating the judicial system while adapting to vision loss, stressing that collaborative dialogue remains essential to justice.

Following the formal program, both authors engaged with audience questions, touching on topics from mentorship to the impact of diverse voices on legal interpretation. The evening closed with a book-signing line, where attendees from all walks of life expressed gratitude for the justices’ candor and commitment to public service.