\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t $\"Fb-Button\"$ \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>

A VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX: SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HONORABLE SONIA SOTOMAYOR<\/b> VISITS RUTGERS EAGLETON INSTITUTE\u00a0\u00a0 bY\u00a0 Calvin Schwartz\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0April 13, 2016<\/p>\n

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$\"Dr.$
Dr. Barchi, Rutgers President greeting Justice Sotomayor<\/i> and Ruth Mandel<\/p><\/div>\n
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Over the years I\u2019ve discovered the mind expansive joys of Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics. After one lecture, I told Watergate-famed John Dean, Nixon\u2019s counsel, that he contributed to the break-up of my first marriage because I spent three weeks as a newlywed watching his testimony and nothing else. He laughed and asked if I re-married. I remember lectures with Doris Kearns Goodwin, Governors Whitman and Codey, Michael Beschloss, David Gergen. \u00a0Senator Corey Booker was at Eagleton a few weeks ago. Actually Senator Booker called on me for the last question; it was my omnipresent Rutgers hat and \u201cover-abundance of hair\u201d which garnered his attention. When it was announced that Justice Sotomayor<\/u> was coming on April 11th and registration was at 9AM on line, I set the alarm for 8 AM. I filled out the form at 9AM sharp. Seconds later, it was closed out and so was I. The demand to see the Supreme Court Justice was beyond.<\/p>\n
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$\"Justice$
Justice Sotomayor & Ruth Mandel entering the RAC<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"on$
on stage with questions from Ruth Mandel<\/p><\/div>\n
Eagleton reacted and moved the venue to the Rutgers Athletic Center(RAC) to accommodate. \u00a0I remembered I\u2019m a journalist here at NJ Discover and got press credentials for the event. Arrival was two hours early to set up in the press box yet even that early you could feel a special air of excitement and still hear echoes in the empty RAC. I walked around absorbing. The doors opened for the spectators; such a diverse and smiling demographic. I knew it wasn\u2019t basketball season or Kansas. This was a special day.<\/p>\n
Dr. Barchi, Rutgers President spoke briefly and acknowledged some past Jersey officials. Ruth Mandel, head of Eagleton and Justice Sotomayor walked across the gym floor to the stage and two comfortable chairs. A very skilled eloquent Ruth Mandel began to ask questions.<\/p>\n
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$\"with$
with John Dean, President Nixon’s counsel after an Eagleton lecture a few years ago<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"Recently$
Recently with Senator Cory Booker after Eagleton lecture.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Justice Sotomayor remarked, \u201cWho I am is an amalgam of experiences.\u201d Mandel asked, \u201cWhat did you hold onto from early days?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI have a Puerto Rican heart\u2026.my culture is who I am\u2026.my values that I was taught…. love of family, community, country\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Once I heard her words, I knew she was a very special exceedingly humanistic Justice; a rare precious and beautiful person. This audience was in the presence of greatness. Isn\u2019t it funny how fast you can tell qualities. She was born in the Bronx, went to Princeton and Yale Law.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas the court affected people close to you?\u201d She missed that first Christmas; couldn\u2019t leave the court. \u201cSure it changes you.\u201d\u00a0 She went on to say, \u201cI studied and studied\u2026. never cut corners with education\u2026. I worry students who are involved in everything…. involved with too much\u2026. should concentrate on passions\u2026. Don\u2019t do any work that you\u2019re not passionate about.\u201d Yes, she was on a college campus with many students listening.<\/p>\n
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$\"On$
On the second level<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"On$
On the big scoreboard screen<\/p><\/div>\n
I \u00a0loved this next segment. Justice Sotomayor mentioned that she doesn\u2019t like sitting for long periods of time and walks slowly but she\u2019d walk into the stands all the way up to the rafters answering questions. \u201cI was called \u201chot pepper\u201d by my mother. I can\u2019t sit still.\u201d\u00a0 How wondrously real. She shook hands with some of the appreciative audience. I was in the second level press box; she was three feet away. Yes, thrilling.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery night before I go to sleep, I ask what did I learn new today. How did I extend an act of kindness? If I can\u2019t answer, I don\u2019t go to bed\u2026. I go on the internet.\u201d I turned to Dan, Editor of the Rutgers Targum, sitting next and whispered, \u201cA very special person. Wow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fittingly she spoke about more diversity on the Supreme Court can help to better understand the cases but wouldn\u2019t necessarily change outcomes. \u201cIn every case we\u2019re announcing a winner. One side comes away vindicated\u2026. One loses\u2026. It makes this job hard.\u201d\u00a0 I liked the air in the gym; no questioning on prevailing winds of politics and the court. There is a time and place. I just wanted to hear her humanity and personal expressions. \u00a0Back on the gym floor, after students asked questions and a photo-op, Ruth Mandel and Justice Sotomayor were quickly gone. I think she had to catch a train.<\/p>\n
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A VIEW FROM THE PRESS BOX: SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HONORABLE SONIA SOTOMAYOR VISITS RUTGERS EAGLETON INSTITUTE\u00a0\u00a0 bY\u00a0 Calvin Schwartz\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0April 13, 2016 Dr. Barchi, Rutgers President greeting Justice Sotomayor and Ruth Mandel Over the years I\u2019ve discovered the mind expansive joys of Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics. After one lecture, I told Watergate-famed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[404,332,402,136,403,401,400],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3445"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3455,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445\/revisions\/3455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vichywater.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}