Sonia Sotomayor made history by becoming the first Hispanic (and first Latina) justice ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court, and only the third woman to sit on the Court.

Quick Scoop

  • She was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2009.
  • Her confirmation marked the first time a person of Hispanic heritage had ever served on the nation’s highest court.
  • She is also the third woman in U.S. history to become a Supreme Court Justice, following Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

So, if someone asks “Judge Sonia Sotomayor made history by doing what?” the concise answer is:

She made history by becoming the first Hispanic and first Latina justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

TL;DR: Sonia Sotomayor broke historic ground as the first Hispanic and Latina Supreme Court justice, and the third woman ever on the Court.

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