Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor admitted during a speech at the University of California – Berkeley School of Law that conservative victories at the high court “traumatize” her.
“I live in frustration. And as you heard, every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart. But I have to get up the next morning and keep on fighting,” the liberal justice said, according to CNN.
Former President Trump was able to appoint three justices during his term, resulting in a conservative majority that has handed the political right some major wins on abortion, guns, and affirmative action in recent years.
Asked how she gets along with her colleagues who have different beliefs, the justice said she looks for the good in them.
"If you look for the good in people, you can deal with the bad more easily," she said. "They are as passionate about what they believe, about the Constitution, about law, about our country, as I am. We have a different way of understanding what’s good for the country and the law, but it’s not because they’re men or women of ill will."
She attempted to encourage the left-leaning students upset by how the conservative majority on the court is shaping U.S. law, explaining that “change never happens on its own. Change happens because people care about moving the arc of the universe toward justice, and it can take time and it can take frustration.”
The 69-year-old justice also expressed her frustration with the increasingly heavy workload required on the high court.
“Cases are bigger. They’re more demanding. The number of amici are greater, and you know that our emergency calendar is so much more active. I’m tired,” she said, according to Bloomberg Law. “There used to be a time when we had a good chunk of the summer break. Not anymore. The emergency calendar is busy almost on a weekly basis.”
Even though it's not what she "expected" at her age since the work is "all consuming," she explained what continues to motivate her.
"I understand the impact the court has on people and on the country, and sometimes the world," she said. "And so it is what keeps me going."