Sotomayor apologizes for ‘hurtful' criticism of Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare public apology for criticism she levied toward Brett Kavanaugh during a speaking appearance.

“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,” Sotomayor said of the April 7 response during a question and answer session. “I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”

Sotomayor, who was elevated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama, criticized Kavanaugh’s concurrence defending an emergency decision by the court allowing warrantless immigration stops to resume in L.A. Sotomayor said Kavanaugh didn’t understand the impact of such stops.

“This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour,” Sotomayor said.

Bloomberg Law was the first to report on Sotomayor’s comments, which drew immediate condemnation from conservatives on social media.

Kavanaugh was the lone justice to write in defense of the order. In a concurrence, he said legal residents’ encounters with immigration agents are “typically brief” and that those affected “promptly go free,” a characterization immigration lawyers have disputed.

The court’s three liberals have been outspoken in their criticism of how emergency petitions have been handled, saying the conservative majority has repeatedly failed to explain rulings that have largely favored the Trump administration.

During a second appearance last week at the University of Alabama School of Law, Sotomayor lamented her frequent failure to win over the conservative justices to her positions.

She also praised cordial relations on the court, saying she maintains a civil relationship with all eight other justices and considers many to be friends.

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