Justice Sotomayor Apologizes for Comments on Immigration Debate

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressed regret on Wednesday for her “hurtful” remarks regarding her colleagues, offering an apology through a court statement after seemingly targeting Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s stance on immigration enforcement.

During an earlier event at the University of Kansas School of Law, Sotomayor criticized Kavanaugh—without directly naming him—for not fully understanding the consequences of last year’s undocumented order that allowed for immigration enforcement to recommence in Los Angeles.

She remarked, “I had a colleague in that case who wrote, ‘These are only temporary stays,'” a reference to Kavanaugh’s agreement concerning the Trump administration’s emergency appeal of Noem v. Perdomo.

This particular case saw the Supreme Court voting 6-3 in September, enabling ICE to justify immigration detentions using “obvious racial or ethnic” markers and locations in California.

Sotomayor added, “This is coming from a guy whose parents are professionals and probably don’t really know anyone who works by the hour.”

In a concurring opinion regarding the September 8, 2025 stay, Kavanaugh mentioned that legal residents typically have brief encounters with immigration officials and may be released quickly if they identify as U.S. citizens or lawfully present.

However, Sotomayor, who filed a dissenting opinion, pointed out during her remarks that while Kavanaugh referenced the long-standing legal precedent for halting immigration based on reasonable doubt, he overlooked that even short detentions can lead to significant “economic consequences” for workers paid hourly.

She also noted that her personal experiences have shaped her perspective, allowing her to “think more broadly and see things that others don’t,” which seems to touch upon her position as the first Hispanic judge on the Supreme Court.

Following her remarks, the Supreme Court acknowledged that Sotomayor “addressed a disagreement with one of her colleagues in a previous case” and admitted to making “inappropriate comments.”

“I regret the hurtful comments I made,” she stated. “I apologized to my colleagues.”