Juan Sotomayor on Sister Sonia's Critics: 'Angry Is Just the Beginning'
GMA Exclusive: Claire Shipman talks to Judge Sotomayor's brother Juan Sotomayor.
June 9, 2009— -- Dr. Juan Sotomayor, brother of Supreme Court-nominated judge Sonia Sotomayor, broke his silence about his sister's critics, saying the "insulting" comments about her do not describe the woman he grew up with.
"Anyone who knows my sister, she has so many people who love her, adore her; so many people she's friends with; so many people that respect her," he told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview. "It's just insulting."
ABC News' senior national correspondent Claire Shipman sat down for an exclusive interview with Sotomayor, who is the nominee's only sibling. He talked about his relationship with his older sister, his pride in her achievement and his reaction to recent criticism of the nomination.
"Angry is just beginning of the emotion that I could describe," he said.
In the emotional interview, Sotomayor also expressed overwhelming pride in his big sister.
He cannot even look at the display dedicated to his sister at their former high school without tearing up, but said he is "not surprised" that she has risen to the national stage.
"You just don't understand how a brother can feel," said Sotomayor, a physician practicing in Syracuse, N.Y. "It's, you know, you live with someone your whole life and you know it's just great."
Outside the harsh spotlight of American politics and relentless media attention -- in which Sonia Sotomayor, 54, has been characterized as everything from an "excellent choice" to an "interesting" one, to a "racist" -- her brother paints a more personal portrait of a sister who grew up strong-willed, focused on the family and was "the life of the party."
"You grow up with someone and you know what kind of person ... there's no mystery with my sister," he said. "She's a wonderful, warm person, one of the greatest family people you'll ever meet. [She] takes being a family member very seriously, just like she takes everything else."
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