Sotomayor Approved for Supreme Court by Senate Judiciary Committee
Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor has just been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, 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. Watch video of the roll call vote.
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.
the nominee that follows Sotomayor – especially if that pick would
change the ideological balance of power on the court," wrote Politico’s Manu Raju. If finally confirmed, Sotomayor would
fill the seat vacated by Justice David Souter, considered to be one of
the more liberal members of the court.
“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.”
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.
A Judiciary Committee roll call vote approves Judge Sonia Sotomayor for a confirmation vote in the Senate.