Justice Sotomayor: ‘This is our time to stand up and be heard’

The legal profession and the judiciary are at a crossroads, and lawyers and judges must fight to preserve the system, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said in a wide-ranging talk at the ABA TIPS 10th Annual Section Conference held at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. The May 8 gala was co-sponsored by GPSolo and Judicial Division.

Sotomayor said the legal profession “is poised to show its greatness,” adding: “I tell law students if you’re not used to fighting losing battles, don’t become a lawyer. Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. Our job is to be the champion of lost causes.

“But right now we can’t lose the battles we are facing,” she said. “We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight. With all the uncertainty that exists at this moment, this is our time to stand up and be heard. For me, being here with you is an act of solidarity,” she told the audience of more than 400 attorneys and judges.

Childs said the legal profession is at a crossroads, but that the frustrations of the moment also present an opportunity. “You should be concerned about justice and equity and what your role is in all of that,” she said. “You should be concerned that there is a poor reception of the transparency, of the trust and confidence in our court and in our public institutions. You should be concerned about civics education and how our children are growing up and [should] have the opportunity to learn about what government is, what it should do and how they can participate in it.”

She urged the audience to remember why they went to law school: “To fight, to be there to represent those who can’t artfully represent themselves,” she said. “So you have to stand tall and strong and ethically and civilly and professionally as you put yourself forth before the courts in representing your clients.”

During the gala, which marked the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s more than 90 years of programming for insurance, defense, corporate and plaintiffs’ attorneys and the judiciary, Sotomayor received the section’s Lifetime Liberty Achievement Award, and Childs received the Liberty Achievement Award. Both awards recognize attorneys and judges who take leadership roles in promoting diversity in the profession of law. TIPS Associate Director Janet Hummons was awarded the section’s Andrew C. Hecker Award for more than 25 years of service and leadership to TIPS and joined Sotomayor and Childs on stage for the fireside chat. Chris Nolan, chair of the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, hosted the fireside chat.