As Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor continues her meet-and greets this week in Washington, Republicans are working hard to strengthen their case against the nominee by analyzing her responses to written questions and combing through her record as a lawyer and a judge. However, Senate Democrats remain confident that Sotomayor will be confirmed by a wide margin.
For the second time in less than a week, a prominent Democrat will hold a public event to praise her nomination. Vice President Joseph Biden this morning is scheduled to hold an event highlighting support for Sotomayor by law enforcement officials. New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Miami Police Chief John Timoney, president of the Police Executive Research Forum, and National District Attorneys Association President Joseph Cassilly are all expected to attend the event at the White House.
As previously reported in La Plaza, last Thursday Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) held a meeting on the Hill with Latino leaders to demonstrate his support for the nominee, who would be the third female and first Latina on the high court.
Sotomayor, 54, has come under fire for past statements, including one in which she said that a Latina could arrive at better conclusions than a white man in certain types of cases. Also, some lawyers and law clerks are reported to have said she has a loose tongue and a fiery temper.
A Senior GOP aide said that Sessions is putting together a comprehensive list of issues on which to quiz Sotomayor during her hearings before the panel, “They’re taking a very cautious and responsible view of this. I don’t think anyone expected that of Sessions.”
Sessions, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and other Republicans are expected to vocalize their concerns this week. Leahy and Sessions met late last week to discuss the timing of the Judiciary hearings — Sessions has been pushing to have them in the fall while Leahy has repeatedly rejected waiting until after the August recess.
An announcement of the timing of hearings is expected this week. Reid has stated that there is no need to rush the process, while Obama has said that he wants Sotomayor confirmed by the Supreme Court’s next session, which begins in early October.
Today, Sotomayor is expected to meet with Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL). Martinez, who is of Cuban descent, is under much pressure from the Latino community to support the nomination
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