Judge Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate
On August 6, 2009, the Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation’s first Latina Supreme Court justice.
The Center does not take a position on Supreme Court nominees. But, in the past and latest Supreme Court hearings, the Center has sought to end the historical silence on the discussion of women’s constitutional right to abortion and Roe v. Wade.
The Center argued the most recent Supreme Court abortion case, Gonzales v. Carhart, as well as two other key Supreme Court reproductive rights cases, Stenberg v. Carhart and Ferguson v. City of Charleston (SC). We also argued before Judge Sotomayor (both as plaintiffs and attorneys) in our 2002 case Center for Reproductive Law and Policy v. Bush which challenged the Mexico City Policy. That policy prohibited U.S.-funded family planning organizations based overseas from providing abortion services or engaging in speech intended to ease restrictions on abortion. The policy, called the Global Gag Rule, was reversed by the Obama administration.
The following publications and web pages demonstrate the intrinsic relationship between the Supreme Court and the ongoing fight for Reproductive Rights:
- Overview of Supreme Court Decisions on Abortion and the Right to Privacy
- Current Supreme Court Justices’ Answers to Questions About Roe and Abortion During Their Confirmation Hearings
