(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Leftist Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared to urge lawyers to “stand up” and “fight this fight” amid legal battles targeting President Donald Trump’s agenda following his victory in the 2024 presidential election
“If you’re not used to fighting, and losing battles, then don’t become a lawyer,” Sotomayor said at an American Bar Association event on Thursday. “Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves.”
“Right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing,” she added, as quoted by the New York Times.
While her comments did not directly address Trump, they coincided with mounting lawsuits filed by powerless Democrats aimed at thwarting his administration’s priorities.
Many of these left-driven lawsuits are likely headed for the Supreme Court. What’s more troubling, Sotomayor openly backed attorneys willing to “fight this fight,” while strategically avoiding any direct mention of Trump.
“We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight,” she added. “For me, being here with you is an act of solidarity.”
Sotomayor’s remarks sparked backlash from Republican figures on social media, with many calling for her to recuse herself from upcoming cases involving Trump.
Author and Judicial Network President Carrie Severino wrote on X that Sotomayor’s comments make “a mockery of any appearance of objectivity in cases challenging the administration or involving the ABA.”
Justice Sotomayor just told an ABA audience that “Our job is to stand up” and that “we can’t lose the battles we are facing.” Also: “We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight.”
That makes a mockery of any appearance of objectivity in cases… pic.twitter.com/fEGVQe70pi
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) May 9, 2025
Similarly, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., stated: “This is incredibly rich after liberals spent all of last year freaking out about the political views of Justice Alito’s wife. It is not the job for Justice Sotomayor or any other judge to be partisan politicians in robes.”
“Their job is to follow the Constitution,” he added.
Legal scholar and Fox News host Mark Levin blasted her as the “dumbest, most unethical, and politically leftwing lawyer” on the court. He also called her remarks a rallying cry for “ambulance-chasing attorneys to continue their unconstitutional attack on the presidency and separation of powers.”
“Sotomayor is a shameless disgrace,” Levin concluded.
President Barack Obama appointed Sotomayor to the high court in 2009. She has long angered conservatives with her politically charged comments.
At a Harvard event in 2024, she admitted, “There are days that I’ve come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried. There have been those days. And there are likely to be more.”
