U.S. Supreme Court Justice Speaks At TU

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide an issue that's been a hot topic in Oklahoma for more than a decade.

Voters here decided to ban same-sex marriage ten years ago, but now the Supreme Court will decide if that's legal, but a decision could still be weeks or months away.

One of the justices, who will help make that decision was in Tulsa Wednesday. Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke to a group at the University of Tulsa.

In a rare appearance by Sotomayor, her focus was to talk about law, her personal influences and to give some insight into the Supreme Court.

She spoke a little bit about why she's often a dissenting voice on the court, but was careful not to talk about any ongoing Supreme Court decisions, including Oklahoma's same-sex ban appeal.

One subject she was very passionate about was her view on affirmative action and its role today.

"That desire, to be more diverse, more inclusive as a society shouldn't end. It should be a part of what we pay attention to, to ensure that we're giving that promise of equal opportunity to every member of society,” Sotomayor said.

She spoke candidly about why she is so passionate about the big issues that make it to the Supreme Court, and encouraged the future law students in the audience to respect each other and remain passionate about the law.

Thursday, Justice Sotomayor heads to Oklahoma City University and then OU on Friday.

Later this month the justices will meet in a private session to talk about same-sex marriage.