I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth.

how many times would a defendant's lawyer enter the courtroom before a session and ask each of the male clerks and paralegals around me, 'Are you the assistant in charge?' while I sat there invisible to him at the head of the table?

The worst thing you want is a willy-nilly judge who is swayed by the political whims of the era or the time. What you want is a judge who is thinking about what he or she is doing and is thinking about it in a principled way.

We apply law to facts. We don't apply feelings to facts.

I do think there is a value in the services of judges for long periods of time.

You can't be a minority in this society without having someone express disapproval about affirmative action.

I would warn any minority student today against the temptations of self-segregation: take support and comfort from your own group as you can, but don’t hide within it.