Senate Confirms Sotomayor

Senator unable to support a 'judicial activist'

(AP) - John McCain says he'll oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor when the Senate votes on her confirmation this week. Despite Sotomayor's efforts to distance herself from her record, the Arizona Republican said today, Sotomayor is a judicial activist who has used her position as a judge to try to change the law. More»

(NEWSER) - Say what you will about Sonia Sotomayor, the woman has a great laugh. Her second day of testimony brought the nominee's personality into clearer focus, writes Ann Gerhart in the Washington Post. In addition to a sense of humor, exemplified in that "big, full-throated laugh," we learned she's a charmer, a "big toucher," and a hand-talker who's not easily rattled. While prone to going on at length about arcane legal points, she sometimes lets her New York out, as when she explained that nunchucks can "bust someone's skull." More»

(NEWSER) - After listening to senators air their issues for most of the day, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor finally got the microphone at the end of her confirmation hearing today, telling senators she would serve the “larger interest of impartial justice," the AP reports. Sotomayor also took an apparent swipe at GOP critics who had questioned her impartiality. “My personal and professional experiences help me listen and understand,” she said, “with the law always commanding the result in every case.” More»

President says nominee would probably like to 'restate' controversial 2001 comment

(NEWSER) - President Obama said yesterday that while Sonia Sotomayor would probably like to rephrase her controversial 2001 comment about race, it doesn't warrant "all this nonsense that is being spewed out by conservative critics.” In an interview with NBC that will air next week, Obama stressed that Sotomayor’s comment came as part of a longer speech that demonstrates she does not subscribe to "identity politics." More»

Erratic record in state elections may arise in confirmation hearings

(NEWSER) - Sonia Sotomayor isn't much of a voter. She skipped multiple New York elections in the past decade, including three for state supreme court, reports NY1. The 2nd Circuit appeals judge failed to vote for governor in 2002 and 2006, and for court positions in 1995, 1999, and 2007. Sotomayor is not registered with any party and thus cannot vote in party primaries. She did vote in the 2008 general election, the one won by the guy who wants to put her on the Supreme Court. More»