Sotomayor Apologizes for Remarks on Colleague's Immigration View

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a public apology on April 15, 2026, for comments she made criticizing a colleague's opinion in an immigration case during a speech at the University of Kansas School of Law the previous week. The remarks, delivered before an audience of about 1,700 people on April 7, targeted a concurring opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh without naming him directly, highlighting perceived gaps in understanding the real-world effects of immigration enforcement.

In her statement released through the court, Sotomayor said, "At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but I made remarks that were inappropriate. I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague." The apology marked a rare instance of public contrition among the justices, who typically confine disagreements to written opinions.

The criticism stemmed from a September 2025 Supreme Court decision that granted an emergency request from the Trump administration to lift a lower court's restriction on immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. The lower court had required federal agents to...