Why a Supreme Court Justice Apologized to a Trump Appointee

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare apology after criticizing the background of her conservative colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She had questioned whether he understood the lives of hourly workers during a speech at a law school. Sotomayor said Kavanaugh’s reasoning showed a disconnect from regular people because his parents were professionals. “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.” The liberal justice later walked back those comments and confirmed she apologized to Kavanaugh directly. The case at the center of the fight involved the Supreme Court’s conservative...