Notre Dame students anticipate visit of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

On Wednesday night Notre Dame is hosting a public conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The event is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Leighton Concert Hall.

In addition to the public event a group of about 30 students will get to meet with Justice Sotomayor privately before the event.

“We’re going to have a private session with Sotomayor and I think it’s going to be a great experience, especially as a Hispanic. I started reading her book. She had hardships growing up. I also did, maybe I could draw some connections between that,” said Felix Mayorga Alvaretz, Notre Dame freshman.

Justice Sotomayor will discuss issues with NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson. The discussion will be moderated by U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams.

Both Thompson and Williams are Notre Dame alumnae and Trustees.

The event is hosted by the Notre Dame Law School and the Institute for Latino Studies.

Students say hearing from Justice Sotomayor will benefit anyone who attends.

“Well I think it’s good to have a high publicity figure, especially one who’s highly intelligent and highly educated, come and share that breath of experience that they have with all the students. From science to business to humanities, anybody can gain from that type of experience and knowledge,” said Michael Deasey, Notre Dame senior.

Click here for a biography on Justice Sotomayor.