UPDATE 9/11/17: The conversation with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Emory’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium has been canceled. Emory Law hopes to reschedule the Justice’s visit as soon as possible, and organizers will communicate those plans once a new date is confirmed.

Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, will join in a discussion with Emory Law professor Fred Smith at an event for the law school community at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, in Glenn Memorial Auditorium.

Smith is a constitutional law scholar who clerked for Sotomayor during the October 2013 term. An audience question-and-answer session will follow. Emory Law students will be allowed to submit questions in advance.

“As Emory Law enters its second century of advancing the rule of law, I can think of no one more appropriate to speak to our community,” says Judson Graves 75L, interim dean. “We are honored to be able to welcome Justice Sotomayor to Emory.”   

Sotomayor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2009. President George Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York in 1991, and she served in that role from 1992 to 1998. She then served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1998 to 2009.

Prior to serving as a judge, she served as assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office from 1979 to 1984. From 1984 to 1992, she worked as an associate and then partner at Pavia & Harcourt, where she litigated international commercial matters.

Sotomayor is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she served as editor of the Yale Law Journal. She earned a B.A. from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the university’s highest academic honor. She was born in Bronx, New York. 

Sotomayor’s memoir, “My Beloved World,” was published in 2013. Autographed copies will be available for purchase before and after the event.

Ticketing details 

Tickets are available via a lottery to the Emory Law community. The direct link to the ticket reservation page for students is here. Individuals may register for only one ticket; tickets are non-transferable and sale/re-sale is prohibited.

Those receiving confirmation that they have a ticket will be able to pick it up at a registration table outside Glenn Memorial Auditorium on the day of the event when doors open at 1 p.m. Attendees must present a valid Emory ID to pick up their ticket. 

If a ticket is not picked up by 2 p.m., the registrant risks losing it to a member of the waitlist. Those not seated at the start of the program will not be admitted. 

Additional event details

• Attendees wishing to submit questions for Sotomayor may do so via this link.
• No cameras, flash photography or recording will be permitted, except pre-approved members of the media.
• Attendees will be asked to silence cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices.
• Food and drinks are prohibited in Glenn Memorial Auditorium.
• No backpacks, briefcases, large bags or large purses will be allowed. No bag check will be available.