Sotomayor Suggests Kavanaugh Has a Blind Spot

Justice criticizes colleague's ruling on immigration sweeps in Los Angeles

Apr. 10, 2026 at 7:00pm

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A serene, photorealistic painting of the Supreme Court building in warm, golden light, with deep shadows casting a sense of institutional authority and gravity.The Supreme Court's ideological divisions are laid bare as Justices Sotomayor and Kavanaugh publicly clash over the impact of immigration enforcement policies.Los Angeles Today

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized her fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh for his ruling that allowed the Trump administration to resume broad immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, suggesting he may not understand the impact on hourly workers who lose pay when detained.

Why it matters

Sotomayor's public criticism of Kavanaugh's ruling highlights the ideological divide on the Supreme Court and the potential for justices to call out each other's perceived blind spots or lack of understanding on key issues.

The details

In a 2025 decision, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume broad immigration sweeps in Los Angeles. In her comments at a University of Kansas law event, Sotomayor suggested that Kavanaugh, who characterized the interactions as 'typically brief' with legal residents 'promptly' released, does not grasp the impact on hourly workers who lose pay when detained. Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that Americans should not accept a system where the government can seize 'anyone who looks Latino [and] speaks Spanish', which she said upends decades of court precedent.

  • The Supreme Court made the ruling in 2025.

The players

Sonia Sotomayor

A Supreme Court Justice who criticized her colleague Brett Kavanaugh's ruling on immigration sweeps in Los Angeles.

Brett Kavanaugh

A Supreme Court Justice whose ruling on immigration sweeps in Los Angeles was criticized by Sonia Sotomayor.

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What they’re saying

“Those hours that they took you away, nobody's paying that person. And that makes a difference between a meal for him and his kids that night and maybe just cold supper.”

— Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice

“Typically brief' with legal residents 'promptly' released.”

— Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Justice

The takeaway

Sotomayor's public criticism of Kavanaugh's ruling highlights the ideological divide on the Supreme Court and the potential for justices to call out each other's perceived blind spots or lack of understanding on key issues, especially those that have a significant impact on vulnerable populations.