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US Judiciary Committee OKs Sotomayor for high court

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-29 07:35

WASHINGTON: Pushing toward a historic Supreme Court confirmation vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice, over nearly solid Republican opposition.

The panel's 13-6 vote for Sotomayor masked deep political divisions within GOP ranks about confirming President Barack Obama's first high court nominee. Just one Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, joined Democrats to support her, although four others have said they'll vote for Sotomayor when her nomination comes before the full Senate next week -- and that number is expected to grow.

Senate Judiciary Committee members Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, and Sen Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., talk on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, during the committee's markup vote on the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. [Agencies]

"I would not have chosen her, but I understand why President Obama did. I gladly give her my vote, because I think she meets the qualifications test," Graham said. Obama's choice to nominate the first-ever Latina to the highest court is "a big deal," he added, declaring that, "America has changed for the better with her selection."

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The near-unanimous Republican vote against Sotomayor on the Judiciary panel reflected the choice many GOP conservatives have made to side with their core supporters and oppose a judge they charge will bring liberal bias and racial and gender prejudices to her decisions. Others in the party, however, are concerned that doing so could hurt their efforts to broaden their base, and particularly alienate Hispanic voters, a fast-growing segment of the electorate.

Hispanic and civil rights groups hailed the Judiciary Committee's action as a turning point in the march toward embracing diversity and racial equality in the United States.

Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights called it "a significant milestone in our country's journey toward providing equal justice under the law."

Several strategists on both sides who have been closely tracking the nomination said as many as five more Republicans could join the five who have already announced their intention to vote for Sotomayor. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly predicting the outcome.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor answers questions during her fourth and final day of testimony at her U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington July 16, 2009. [Agencies]

Conservative activists are pressing for the GOP to keep up a united front against Sotomayor, whatever the political consequences. "Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee deserve praise for putting principle above identity politics today in voting against Sonia Sotomayor," said Curt Levey of the conservative Committee for Justice.

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