Justice Sonia Sotomayor Apologizes to Brett Kavanaugh for Hurtful Immigration Comments

Sotomayor issued a rare public apology to Kavanaugh for remarks she made at the University of Kansas Law School.

“(CNN) —Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a highly unusual public apology to a colleague Wednesday, saying her criticism of Justice Brett Kavanaugh for his writing in an earlier immigration case was unfair”

KTEN

She had said, This is from a man whose parents were professionals.

NBC News

She apologized in a statement: I regret my hurtful comments.

The apology came about a week after she criticized Kavanaugh’s immigration stop opinion.

The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, and Sotomayor was one of the three liberal dissenters.

The apology stemmed from Sotomayor's criticism of Kavanaugh's concurring opinion in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo.

Kavanaugh wrote that these are only temporary stops and individuals may promptly go free once they prove legal status.

SCOTUSblog

Sotomayor countered that those hours that they took you away, nobody’s paying that person.

The legal challenge came after the Trump administration ramped up immigration raids across California.

The court blocked a lower court ruling that said federal agents need reasonable suspicion.

Sotomayor's comments exposed cracks in the court's usual depiction of collegiality.

“Skip to Main Content Justice Sonia Sotomayor apologizes for swipe at Kavanaugh The Obama appointee suggested Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s upbringing left him insensitive in a case about immigration stops”

POLITICO

She told law students she has a civil relationship with virtually all of her fellow justices.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas lamented the fraying of relations on the court.

Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also heavily criticized the court’s handling of cases involving the Trump administration.

The Supreme Court was gearing up to issue some of the biggest rulings of its current term.