Justice Sotomayor, NYU's 2012 Commencement speaker, received a Doctor of Laws degree, honoris causa, at the ceremony.

NYU's 180th Commencement Exercises were held Wednesday morning, May 16, 2012, at Yankee Stadium. President John Sexton and Board of Trustees Chairman Martin Lipton presided over the event, which presented honorary degrees to Sonia Sotomayor - Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court; David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times; Patrick Desbois, President, Yahad-In Unum; and Charles Weissmann, Professor and Chairman, Department of Infectology, The Scripps Research Institute.