Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court of the United States was the featured speaker for the most recent Albritton Lecture at The University of Alabama School of Law.
During the visit, Justice Sotomayor participated in a lunch with Alabama Law student leaders and three separate Q&A sessions with first-year law students, the larger Alabama Law student body, and students from The University of Alabama’s Blackburn Institute. She fielded questions from students and faculty on the impact of artificial intelligence on legal practice, current challenges facing the judiciary, and leadership and personal success, among other topics.
“It really means so much to have Justice Sotomayor here as one of my personal role models,” said Sav Miles, a third-year law student from Gadsden, who was recently named valedictorian of the Class of 2026 at Alabama Law. “To be able to sit in front of that level of brilliance and success and learn about her humble upbringing reminded me what is possible.”
Ty Nesbitt, president of the First-Generation Law Students Association and newly-elected Alabama Law Student Bar Association president, highlighted the lessons she learned from her interactions with Justice Sotomayor during her lunch with Alabama Law student leaders.
“One of the reasons I came to law school was to have experiences like this,” Nesbitt said. “I’ve always wanted to make an impact on the people in the community who helped shape me. As I step into my new position as SBA president, Justice Sotomayor reminded me that I can find my voice and lead with purpose, inspiring others to find the good they can get behind and believe in.”
“For thirty years, the Albritton Lectures have provided an opportunity for our students, faculty, and staff to engage with some of the most distinguished jurists in the world,” said Dean Bill Brewbaker. “Justice Sotomayor’s visit, like that of so many others before her, was an unmistakable reminder to our students that the study of law is not just about getting a job. It’s also about joining a profession that exists to serve the public good.”
Since 1996, 12 Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and three chief legal officers from Australia, Israel and Canada have delivered the Albritton Lecture at Alabama Law. Alabama Law alumnus Judge W. Harold Albritton III, who was appointed district judge for the Middle District of Alabama by President George H.W. Bush, established the series in 1996 with the intent of bringing distinguished practitioners, judges and legal scholars to engage with students at Alabama Law. The series continues to be supported by the Albritton Fund, through generosity of the Albritton family of Andalusia.
Story by Josh Bird