Who appointed Sonia Sotomayor?

President Barack Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009.

Was Sonia Sotomayor appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Sonia Sotomayor was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation vote?

The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor 68–31 on August 6, 2009.

Supreme Court / Appointed 2009 / Active

Sonia Sotomayor

Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States

Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009 and confirmed by the Senate 68–31, Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1979. She previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 111 opinions of the Court ↓ Sources ↓

Born: 1954 · age 72
Appointed by: Barack Obama, 2009
Confirmed: 68–31
Education: Princeton 1976 · Yale Law School 1979
Succeeded: David Hackett Souter

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
1992	Southern District of New York succeeded John Mercer Walker Jr.	G.H.W. Bush (R)	Voice vote
1998	Second Circuit succeeded John Daniel Mahoney	Clinton (D)	68–28
2009	Supreme Court succeeded David Hackett Souter	Obama (D)	68–31

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.

Confirmation vote

Nomination Confirmed 68–31 on August 6, 2009 · 111th Congress, Roll Call 262. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.

Voted to confirm · 68

57 D, 9 R, 2 I

Voted against · 31

31 R

Did not vote · 1

1 D

Edward Kennedy(D-MA)

Education

Princeton University	B.A.	1976
Yale Law School	J.D.	1979

Opinions of the Court

Sotomayor delivered 111 opinions of the Court in the covered window (October Term 2009 – October Term 2025). Most cited: Percy Dillon v. United States (2,002 citations).

Year	Case	Citation	Cited
2026	T. M. v. University of Md. Medical System Corporation	608 U.S. ___ (2026)	–
2026	Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties	608 U.S. ___ (2026)	–
2026	Enbridge Energy, LP v. Nessel	608 U.S. ___ (2026)	–
2026	Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corp.	–	–
2026	Hain Celestial Group, Inc. v. Palmquist	–	–
2026	Bowe v. United States	–	–
2025	Gutierrez v. Saenz	606 U.S. 305 (2025)	26
2025	Parrish v. United States	605 U.S. 376 (2025)	13
2025	Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Comm’n.	605 U.S. 238 (2025)	0
2025	Cunningham v. Cornell Univ.	604 U.S. 693 (2025)	33
2025	Glossip v. Oklahoma	604 U.S. 226 (2025)	32
2025	Hungary v. Simon	604 U.S. 115 (2025)	11
2024	Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co.	602 U.S. 268 (2024)	21
2024	National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo	602 U.S. 175 (2024)	53
2024	Smith v. Spizzirri	601 U.S. 472 (2024)	281
2024	McIntosh v. United States	601 U.S. 330 (2024)	16
2024	Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. v. Moab Partners, L. P.	601 U.S. 257 (2024)	41
2024	Wilkinson v. Garland	601 U.S. 209 (2024)	253
2024	Murray v. UBS Securities, LLC	601 U.S. 23 (2024)	14
2023	Yegiazaryan v. Smagin	599 U.S. 533 (2023)	17
2023	Dubin v. United States	599 U.S. 110 (2023)	224
2023	Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith	598 U.S. 508 (2023)	41
2023	Wilkins v. United States	598 U.S. 152 (2023)	98
2023	Cruz v. Arizona	598 U.S. 17 (2023)	20
2022	Concepcion v. United States	597 U.S. 481 (2022)	110
2022	Golan v. Saada	596 U.S. 666 (2022)	85
2022	Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez	596 U.S. 573 (2022)	85
2022	Siegel v. Fitzgerald	596 U.S. 464 (2022)	32
2022	City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC	596 U.S. 61 (2022)	145
2022	Hughes v. Northwestern Univ.	595 U.S. 170 (2022)	140
2022	Hemphill v. New York	595 U.S. 140 (2022)	18
2021	Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of Chehalis Reservation	594 U.S. 338 (2021)	34
2021	United States v. Palomar-Santiago	593 U.S. 321 (2021)	76
2021	Carr v. Saul	593 U.S. 83 (2021)	325
2021	Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid	592 U.S. 395 (2021)	386
2021	Salinas v. Railroad Retirement Bd.	592 U.S. 188 (2021)	52
2020	Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Assn.	592 U.S. 80 (2020)	75
2020	Liu v. SEC	591 U.S. 71 (2020)	308
2020	Lucky Brand Dungarees, Inc. v. Marcel Fashions Group, Inc.	590 U.S. 405 (2020)	252
2020	Maine Community Health Options v. United States	590 U.S. ___ (2020)	–
2020	CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co.	589 U.S. 348 (2020)	54
2019	Peter v. NantKwest, Inc.	589 U.S. 23 (2019)	70
2019	North Carolina Dept. of Revenue v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust	588 U.S. 262 (2019)	43
2019	McDonough v. Smith	588 U.S. 109 (2019)	578
2019	Return Mail, Inc. v. Postal Service	587 U.S. ___ (2019)	–
2019	Smith v. Berryhill	587 U.S. 471 (2019)	527
2019	Herrera v. Wyoming	587 U.S. 329 (2019)	81
2019	Garza v. Idaho	586 U.S. 232 (2019)	532
2019	Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert	586 U.S. 188 (2019)	104
2018	Pereira v. Sessions	585 U.S. 198 (2018)	1012
2018	Rosales-Mireles v. United States	585 U.S. 129 (2018)	806
2018	Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling	584 U.S. 709 (2018)	283
2018	Collins v. Virginia	584 U.S. 586 (2018)	347
2017	Kokesh v. SEC	581 U.S. 455 (2017)	39
2017	Honeycutt v. United States	581 U.S. 443 (2017)	239
2017	Lewis v. Clarke	581 U.S. 155 (2017)	292
2017	McLane Company v. EEOC	581 U.S. 72 (2017)	16
2017	Life Technologies Corp. v. Promega Corp.	580 U.S. 140 (2017)	35
2017	Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp.	580 U.S. 82 (2017)	29
2016	Samsung Electronics v. Apple	–	–
2016	Dietz v. Bouldin	579 U.S. 40 (2016)	794
2016	Simmons v. Himmelreich	578 U.S. 621 (2016)	124
2016	Green v. Brennan	578 U.S. 547 (2016)	642
2016	Husky International Electronics, Inc., v. Ritz	578 U.S. 355 (2016)	421
2016	Americold Logistics, Llc, v. Conagra Foods, Inc.	577 U.S. 378 (2016)	421
2016	Lockhart v. United States	577 U.S. 347 (2016)	270
2016	Hurst v. Florida	577 U.S. 92 (2016)	–
2015	City of Los Angeles, California v. Patel	576 U.S. 409 (2015)	240
2015	Brumfield v. Cain	576 U.S. 305 (2015)	375
2015	Wellness International Network, Limited v. Sharif	575 U.S. 665 (2015)	547
2015	Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Ass'N	575 U.S. 92 (2015)	475
2015	Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank	574 U.S. 418 (2015)	–
2015	T Mobile South, Llc v. City of Roswell, Georgia.	574 U.S. 293 (2015)	–
2014	Warger v. Shauers	574 U.S. 40 (2014)	–
2014	Lane v. Franks	573 U.S. 228 (2014)	–
2014	Clark v. Rameker	573 U.S. 122 (2014)	–
2014	Highmark Inc. v. Allcare Health Mgmt. Sys.	572 U.S. 559 (2014)	293
2014	Octane Fitness, Llc v. Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.	572 U.S. 545 (2014)	–
2014	United States v. Castleman	572 U.S. 157 (2014)	648
2014	Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. v. Hoeper	571 U.S. 237 (2014)	–
2014	Miss. Ex Rel. Hood v. Au Optronics Corp.	571 U.S. 161 (2014)	248
2013	Kansas v. Cheever	571 U.S. 87 (2013)	–
2013	Tarrant Regional Water District, Petitioner v. Rudolf John Herrmann, et al.	569 U.S. 614 (2013)	–
2013	Marvin Peugh, Petitioner v. United States	569 U.S. 530 (2013)	771
2013	Jacqueline Hillman, Petitioner v. Judy a. Maretta	569 U.S. 483 (2013)	172
2013	Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Petitioner v. Melissa Cloer	569 U.S. 369 (2013)	919
2013	Adrian Moncrieffe, Petitioner v. Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General	569 U.S. 184 (2013)	1263
2013	Missouri, Petitioner v. G. McNeely	569 U.S. 141 (2013)	1551
2013	Lamar Evans, Petitioner v. Michigan	568 U.S. 313 (2013)	239
2013	Federal Trade Commission, Petitioner v. Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc., et al.	568 U.S. 216 (2013)	–
2012	Southern Union Co. v. United States	567 U.S. 343 (2012)	296
2012	Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter	567 U.S. 182 (2012)	–
2012	Lynwood D. Hall, et Ux., Petitioners v. United States	566 U.S. 506 (2012)	126
2012	Asid Mohamad, Individually and for the Estate of Azzam Rahim, Deceased, et al., Petitioners v. Palestinian Authority et al.	566 U.S. 449 (2012)	390
2012	Dana Roberts, Petitioner v. Sea-Land Services, Inc., et al.	566 U.S. 93 (2012)	296
2012	Rafael Arriaza Gonzales v. Rick Thaler, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division	565 U.S. 134 (2012)	–
2011	J. D. B., Petitioner v. North Carolina	564 U.S. 261 (2011)	187
2011	Frantz Depierre, Petitioner v. United States	564 U.S. 70 (2011)	138
2011	Microsoft Corporation, Petitioner v. I4i Limited Partnership et al.	564 U.S. 91 (2011)	825
2011	Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., et al., Petitioners v. James Siracusano et al.	563 U.S. 27 (2011)	1056
2011	Jason Pepper, Petitioner v. United States	562 U.S. 476 (2011)	–
2011	Michigan, Petitioner v. Richard Perry Bryant	562 U.S. 344 (2011)	–
2011	Chase Bank USA, Na., Petitioner v. James a. McCoy, Individually and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated	562 U.S. 195 (2011)	241
2010	Percy Dillon v. United States	560 U.S. 817 (2010)	2002
2010	Wanda Krupski v. Costa Crociere S. P. a.	560 U.S. 538 (2010)	866
2010	Thomas Carr v. United States	560 U.S. 438 (2010)	274
2010	Esther Hui, et al. v. Yanira Castaneda, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Francisco Castaneda, et al.	559 U.S. 799 (2010)	314
2010	Karen L. Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich Lpa, et al.	559 U.S. 573 (2010)	701
2010	Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P. a., et al. v. United States	559 U.S. 229 (2010)	350
2010	Holly Wood, Petitioner v. Richard F. Allen, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, et al.	558 U.S. 290 (2010)	1388
2009	Mohawk Industries, Inc. v. Norman Carpenter	558 U.S. 100 (2009)	931

Opinions of the Court only: the Court’s slip-opinion tables don’t list dissents or concurrences separately. Earlier opinions arrive with the bound-volume ingest. Browse all Supreme Court opinions.

Judicial Record

Caseload & case types

In our data, Sotomayor was assigned 2,019 district-court cases (1982–2001). Median time from filing to termination: 293 days across 2,019 closed cases.

Contract28%

Personal-injury torts12%

Labor & ERISA10%

Civil rights10%

Bankruptcy9%

Intellectual property9%

Other23%

Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.

Questions & answers

Who appointed Sonia Sotomayor?: President Barack Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009.
Was Sonia Sotomayor appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Sonia Sotomayor was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation vote?: The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor 68–31 on August 6, 2009.
Which court is Sonia Sotomayor on?: Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

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17 years on the Supreme Court of the United States. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).