U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to speak at the U
Event highlights year of exploring justice
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will speak at the University of Utah Jan. 28 at noon in the Huntsman Center. Her appearance is sponsored by the University of Utah MUSE Project (My U Student Experience), a presidential initiative that works to enrich undergraduate education across the university.
“Justice Sotomayor’s visit highlights the MUSE Project’s theme year on justice, for which her recent book ‘My Beloved World’ is the centerpiece text,” said Mark Matheson, English professor and director of the MUSE Project. “In her book, Justice Sotomayor reflects on her life with both humor and critical insight. She evaluates her past in a deeply analytical way, but she is just as alert to the experience of beauty and the power of poetry. I’m confident that Justice Sotomayor’s vision and energy will inspire university students and other members of the diverse and aspirational society we have in the state of Utah.”
Through a grant from the O.C. Tanner Company, MUSE has provided 1,500 copies of “My Beloved World” to U students and other members of the university community. MUSE is sponsoring student-run discussion groups in which students and faculty meet to discuss themes and exchange perspectives on Justice Sotomayor’s text.
In her remarks Justice Sotomayor will discuss her book and her educational experiences. A Q&A session will follow. Guests may submit questions prior to the event at muse.utah.edu/sotomayor-event.
Sotomayor grew up the older of two children of parents who moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx before she was born. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, and her father passed away when she was 9. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton in 1976 and from Yale Law School in 1979. She went on to work as an assistant district attorney in New York and then at the law firm of Pavia & Harcourt. From 1992 to 1998, she served as a judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, and from 1998 to 2009 on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 2009 President Barack Obama appointed her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She is the first Latina and the third woman to be appointed to this position.
In addition to this centerpiece event, the MUSE Project’s theme year on justice includes a series of lunchtime lectures held on the first Thursday of each month. These events feature university professors who discuss their work and how it relates to the theme of justice. More information is available online.
The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. The event is currently at capacity, but standby seating may be available on the day of the event. For inquiries, contact the MUSE Project at muse@muse.utah.edu. Seating will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and a ticket does not guarantee admission. All ticketholders must be in their seats by 11:45 a.m. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., and guests are encouraged to arrive early for best seating.
In accordance with federal security guidelines, no guns or other weapons will be permitted at the venue for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s visit to the University of Utah campus. Visitors will be required to pass through a metal detector and have their bags checked before entering the seating area. It is recommended that guests leave personal belongings at home to streamline this process.