Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings Under Way

The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor began on Monday. Despite a strong partisan divide over her candidacy, she is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate after she has a chance to make her opening statement and answer questions from the Judiciary Committee. If confirmed, she will be the first Latina and only the third woman justice to serve on the nation’s highest court.

CNN:

The Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor began Monday with leading Democrats and Republicans signaling a fierce ideological debate over her qualifications to sit on the high court.

The Judiciary Committee is considering whether Sotomayor, a federal appellate judge, should be the 111th person to sit on the nation’s highest court.

[...] “Judge Sotomayor’s journey to this hearing room is a truly American story,” committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said after gaveling the first session to order. “Hers is a success story in which all Americans can take pride. ... Let no one demean this extraordinary woman.”

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AP photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The Lady in Blue: Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor prepares to testify on Capitol Hill on Monday.