Justice Sotomayor welcomes new U.S. citizens at ceremony

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is telling new U.S. citizens that, in a nation of immigrants, Americans should never fear "those who are different." Sotomayor, in remarks at a naturalization ceremony Tuesday, said new citizens should be active participants in American civic and political life. But she said they also should celebrate their background and native cultures and "teach these too to your children." Sotomayor is a native New Yorker whose parents moved to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico during World War II. At Tuesday's ceremony at the federal courthouse, 102 people representing 42 countries took the oath of U.S. citizenship. Sotomayor is a former trial judge and she offered a friendly admonition to the new Americans that when they are called for jury duty, "don't make excuses." Published: Thu, May 12, 2011