Washington - US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor should
be approved before the Senate takes a month-long summer break on
August 10, Republicans conceded Thursday as she ended a gruelling
three days of questioning from senators.
'I look forward to you getting that vote before we recess in
August,' said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the
Senate's Judiciary Committee.
US President Barack Obama's choice of Sotomayor, who would be the
first Hispanic justice, has sharply divided conservatives and left-
leaning politicians, and prompted questions over the role of race in
US society.
But politicians on both sides praised Sotomayor's handling of the
confirmation hearings this week, though she avoided taking stands on
controversial political topics including abortion, gun control and
affirmative action.
'I think through these proceedings, the American people have
gotten to know you,' said Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic
chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
'You've done a good job. You've had a good humour. You've been
direct in your answers, and we appreciate that,' Sessions said.
With Democrats controlling 60 seats in the 100-member Senate,
there has been little doubt that Sotomayor will be approved for a
life-time appointment to the nine-member Supreme Court.
But many conservatives have said they will oppose her nomination
over criticism that she lacks impartiality and will favour
minorities.
Sotomayor, 55, is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants and grew
up in a poor borough of New York City.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has said he may vote for
her, said she had been 'generally in the mainstream' during 17 years
as a federal judge, but some of her past speeches 'just bugged the
hell out of me.'
Sotomayor has repeatedly insisted during the hearings that she
will be an impartial justice who shows 'fidelity to the law.' She
expressed regret once more Thursday for a past remark at the centre
of the conservative attacks - that she hoped a 'wise Latina' would
reach a better decision than a white male.
'I regret that I have offended some people,' she said. 'I believe
that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent to leave the
impression that some have taken from my words.'
While the questioning of Sotomayor has ended, the Judiciary
Committee's will hear from other witnesses until at least the end of
the week.
Witnesses in the coming days will include New York Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and members of the American Bar Association, a legal
association that gave Sotomayor its top rating as a judge.
Republican opponents will bring forward two firefighters to
testify about a court case involving Connecticut fire department,
which cancelled a round of promotions because no African Americans
had qualified on a written test.
Sotomayor was part of a New York appeals court that backed the
fire department. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling last month
overturned the decision.
USA
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