Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor has just been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Above the Law on a vote of 13 to 6. Only one Republican on the Committee voted in favor of her nomination, Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina. The next step in the process is a vote by the full Senate, expected as early as next week.
Politico quotes Graham as saying:
“This is the first Latina woman in the history of the United States to be selected for the Supreme Court. Now that is a big deal,” Graham said. “I would not have chosen her, but I understand why President Obama did. I gladly give her my vote because I think she meets the qualifications test that was used in [Antonin] Scalia and [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg.”
Other Republicans said Sotomayor:
failed in her four days of testimony to answer questions about several speeches that they said suggest a judicial bias, including her infamous remark that a “wise Latina” could render a better judgment than a white male. At the hearings this month, Sotomayor expressed regret for her statement, and said that her 17-year record as a federal judge proves she puts fidelity to the law above anything else.
NWLC’s report on Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s 17-year judicial record, her legal experience and activities, her speeches, and her four days of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee is available here.“Judge Sotomayor’s legal record and testimony before the Committee revealed her to be an impressive judge who is deeply respectful of legal precedent and anchors her decisions in the specific facts of the case.
“The National Women’s Law Center strongly supports her confirmation and urges the Senate to vote on the nomination before the August recess so that Judge Sotomayor can begin the important work that will come before her in September.”
A Judiciary Committee roll call vote approves Judge Sonia Sotomayor for a confirmation vote in the Senate.
