 In addition to her law firm work , Sotomayor found visible public service roles . She was not connected to the party bosses that typically picked people for such jobs in New York , and indeed she was registered as an independent . Instead , District Attorney Morgenthau , an influential figure , served as her patron . In 1987 , Governor of New York Mario Cuomo appointed Sotomayor to the board of the State of New York Mortgage Agency , which she served on until 1992 . As part of one of the largest urban rebuilding efforts in American history , the agency helped low @-@ income people get home mortgages and to provide insurance coverage for housing and AIDS hospices . Despite being the youngest member of a board composed of strong personalities , she involved herself in the details of the operation and was effective . She was vocal in supporting the right to affordable housing , directing more funds to lower @-@ income home owners , and in her skepticism about the effects of gentrification , although in the end she voted in favor of most of the projects . 
