Supreme Court hopeful Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be back on Capitol Hill today to continue her round of courtesy calls following meetings with Senate leaders and the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Today, she will hold sessions with seven Democrats and three Republicans, including Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Sotomayor will also meet with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY.), with whom she had lunch yesterday.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy has ruled out holding committee hearings in June, and said he would not agree to hold them during the month long August recess. That only leaves the month of July to bring Sotomayor before his panel.
Leahy said, “With the attacks that have been going on against her, I think it would be irresponsible to leave her out there that long.”
Meanwhile, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now says he should not have used the word “racist” to describe the Supreme Court nominee
He wrote in the conservative blog? Publication?,”Human Events (LINK IT)”, that “The word ‘racist’ should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable ( something which both President Obama and his Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, have since admitted).”
“My initial reaction was strong and direct — perhaps too strong and too direct. The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor’s fitness to serve on the nation’s highest court have been critical of my word choice. With these critics who want to have an honest conversation, I agree.”
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