Politics and public perception of the court don't really matter because nothing is going to cost the justices their jobs, Sotomayor told Jon Stewart.
Sotomayor appeared on "The Daily Show" to discuss her new memoir "My Beloved World,” but conversation quickly turned to public views of the high court and whether those views affect the way the justices rule or behave in their personal lives.
"I don't know that I fear that because I have a job forever," she joked about concerns of public persecution.
Sotomayor went on to clarify her statements. "I don't see our work being political or partisan," she said.
"The reason that we have jobs under the Constitution for life is to protect us against public opinion," Sotomayor said. "To permit us to do what we think is right without the fear of losing our jobs and without the fear that public opinion could coerce us not to be courageous."