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This Supreme Court Justice Brought to You by Pepsi

Michael. Britney. Beyonce. Sonia. Pepsi's finest.

February 7, 2013

Yale University Law School graduate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will give remarks at an April event for women who attended Yale University. The event will be sponsored by PepsiCo, which has angered some of Sotomayor’s fellow graduates, according to the New York Times.

"The very idea that she would be headlining a Pepsi event is shocking," said Louise Harpman, who holds an architecture degree from Yale.

Ms. Harpman said she opposed corporate sponsorships of such events in general. "I didn’t go to Pepsi University," she said. Worse, she said, "this is an objectionable company from a public health perspective." …

Michele Simon, who holds a master’s degree in public health from Yale and has been a longtime critic of PepsiCo’s relationships with the university, said the sponsorship was part of a trend. "PepsiCo has its tentacles deep into Yale," she said. "It’s disgusting. What is this nation’s leading educational institution doing participating with this threat to public health?"

PepsiCo conducts nutrition and health research at a lab near the school and supports Yale University research. Additionally, its chief executive sits on the university’s governing body, according to the Times.

Sotomayor’s appearance is not an endorsement of PepsiCo, a spokesperson said.