Justice Sotomayor pays tribute to Moregenthau

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has paid tribute to her early mentor, former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, at his funeral.

About 1,000 mourners are attending Morgenthau's funeral Thursday at Temple Emanu-El, the Manhattan synagogue where he was a trustee for more than 50 years.

Sotomayor said she had been in tears since learning of Morgenthau's death on Sunday at age 99.

Morgenthau gave Sotomayor her first job out of law school when he hired her as an assistant district attorney in 1979.

She said she would not be the judge she has become without him. Morgenthau's seven children also spoke at the service.

Morgenthau was nearly 90 when he retired in 2009 after 35 years as Manhattan district attorney. He had earlier served as Manhattan's top federal prosecutor.