Supreme Court of the U.S. Associate Justice Sotomayor to Speak at Duquesne University

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Marjorie Rendell will welcome Supreme Court of the U.S. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor to Duquesne for an intimate one-hour discussion about her life and career.

An Afternoon with Supreme Court of the U.S. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, in Duquesne's Union Ballroom.

As part of the event, Duquesne and the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Pennsylvania will present Sotomayor with the Carol Los Mansmann Award for Distinguished Public Service, in honor of her commitment to equal access to justice for all citizens. The special award is named after the late judge Mansmann, a Duquesne alumna and former law professor who was the first woman appointed to the federal court in Pittsburgh in 1982.

"We are honored to welcome Justice Sotomayor to Duquesne on this special occasion," Gormley said. "Throughout her distinguished career, she has worked at almost every level of our judicial system, bringing a depth of experience and a breadth of perspective that has been invaluable to the court. Her personal story, coming from a Puerto Rican family with limited means, also serves to inspire many Americans as they pursue their own dreams."

The first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama in May 2009 and ascended to the nation's highest court in August of that year. Previously, she served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998–2009. Prior to that, President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, in 1991 and she served in that role for six years.

Born in Bronx, New York, Sotomayor earned a B.A. in 1976 from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the university's highest academic honor. In 1979, she earned a J.D. from Yale Law School where she served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. She has served as the assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office and as an international commercial litigator for Pavia & Harcourt, where she was an associate and then partner.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To register, visit www.duq.edu/JusticeSotomayor.

Duquesne University
Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and tradition of academic excellence. Duquesne, a campus of nearly 9,500 graduate and undergraduate students, has been nationally recognized for its academic programs, community service and commitment to sustainability. Follow Duquesne University on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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