Justice Sonia Sotomayor issues unusual apology over 'hurtful' remarks about colleague Brett Kavanaugh

BREAKING NEWSApr. 15, 2026, 10:07 PM UTCSupreme CourtSupreme CourtJustice Sonia Sotomayor issues unusual apology over 'hurtful' remarks about colleague Brett KavanaughThe liberal Supreme Court justice had criticized her conservative colleague while she was talking about an opinion he wrote last year in an immigration case.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor at inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.Chip Somodevilla / Pool via AFP via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Lawrence Hurley and Gary GrumbachWASHINGTON — Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an unusual apology Wednesday for critical remarks she made about the upbringing of one of her conservative colleagues, Justice Brett Kavanaugh.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“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 in a statement issued by the court. "I regret my hurtful comments. I have apologized to my colleague.”She was referring to an appearance last week in which she had sharp words for an opinion Kavanaugh wrote last year relating to a decision that allowed the Trump administration to conduct broad immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area.Kavanaugh was in the majority, while Sotomayor dissented. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority.Without mentioning him by name, Sotomayor on April 7 referred Kavanaugh’s opinion, which sought to explain why he joined the majority, according to a Bloomberg Law report.She then added, Bloomberg Law reported: “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”Kavanaugh, who is white, grew up in the Maryland...