Non-fiction: Meet the Judge!
Meet the Judge!
Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic American on the Supreme
Court.
Getty Images
Sonia Sotomayor’s job rules! On August 8, 2009, she became a justice, or
judge, on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court
in the nation.
Sotomayor (soh-toh-migh-YOR) is the first Hispanic American to become a
Supreme Court justice. She is also the third woman to sit on the nation’s top
court.
The justice hopes her experience is “an inspiration for others,” she says. “It’s
a sort of awesome sense of responsibility.”
Corbis
Sonia Sotomayor (left) is
congratulated by her family
and judges after joining the
Court.
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Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Non-fiction: Meet the Judge!
Sotomayor was born and raised in New York City. Her parents are from
Puerto Rico. As a child, Sotomayor worked hard in school. As an adult, she
became a lawyer and a judge.
President Barack Obama selected Sotomayor to become a justice in May
2009. But members of the U.S. Senate had to vote before she could join the
High Court. They asked her questions and debated whether she would be a
good judge. A majority, or most, of the senators voted for Sotomayor, so
she became a justice.
Sotomayor has a big job. The nine justices on the Supreme Court interpret,
or explain, the U.S. Constitution. They decide whether laws obey the
document, which says how the country should be run.
Just the Facts
The Supreme Court is part of the judicial branch. That is
one of three branches of government. What are the
other two?
iStockphoto
The nine justices are appointed, or chosen, for life.
That way, they can make decisions without worrying
about losing their jobs.
Veer
Lawyers send the Supreme Court about 10,000 cases a
year. Of those, the justices usually hear and decide
about 100 cases.
Shutterstock
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Meet the Judge!
Name:
____ Date: __________________
1. According to the passage, why are justices selected for life?
A Justices are selected
Constitution.
B Justices are selected
the government.
C Justices are selected
being fired.
D Justices are selected
for life so they can learn more over time about the U.S.
for life so they can serve as part of the judicial branch of
for life so they can make decisions without worrying about
for life so they can have extraordinary experiences.
2. Which of the following does the author describe first in the passage?
A
B
C
D
The
The
The
The
author
author
author
author
describes
describes
describes
describes
the cases that the Supreme Court decides.
Sonia Sotomayor’s childhood.
Sonia Sotomayor’s new job.
the next Supreme Court term.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A
B
C
D
Sonia
Sonia
Sonia
Sonia
Sotomayor
Sotomayor
Sotomayor
Sotomayor
is a very responsible person
will be a Supreme Court justice for four years
probably understands Spanish
will work as both a lawyer and a Supreme Court justice
4. The passage quotes Sonia Sotomayor as saying that “It [becoming a justice] is an
awesome sense of responsibility.”
In this example, the word awesome most nearly means
A
B
C
D
causing
causing
causing
causing
feelings
feelings
feelings
feelings
of
of
of
of
wonder
disbelief
happiness
anger
5. What would be another good title for this passage?
A
B
C
D
Sonia
Sonia
Sonia
Sonia
Sotomayor,
Sotomayor,
Sotomayor,
Sotomayor,
A Woman from New York City
A New Judge
An Ordinary Person
Making History
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Meet the Judge!
6. Why is Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment as a Supreme Court justice important in
United States history?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. How do the justices probably decide which cases they are going to hear out of the
10,000 that are sent each year?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment as a Supreme Court justice is important _______ she is
the first Hispanic American and the third woman to become a justice on the Supreme
Court.
A
B
C
D
so
but
because
however
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
Sonia Sotomayor worked hard as a child so that she could succeed as a lawyer and a
judge.
Who? Sonia Sotomayor
(did) What? _____________________________________________________
When? __________________________________________________________
Why? __________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Meet the Judge!
10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b,
and 11.
Vocabulary Word: inspiration (in · spir · a · tion): something that makes someone
want to do something.
10a. Read the sentences below and underline the word inspiration.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Hearing the story of how the man risked his life to save his dog was an
inspiration.
Hearing his friend sing was an inspiration to him so he decided to try out for the
talent show.
The beautiful mountains and lakes were an inspiration to the painter.
Watching the dancers at the ballet was an inspiration to the little girl and she
signed up for ballet classes the next day!
It is always an inspiration to hear the stories of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther
King, Jr.
10b. Which person is more likely to be a great inspiration for many people?
11. If you saw your friend get on line to buy lunch at the cafeteria and then you got on
line, would your friend be an inspiration? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
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