Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the nomination of Judge Sandra Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court.
The vote was 13 – 6, mostly down party lines with the exception of Republican Lindsey Graham, who joined the Democrats on the committee in support of Sotomayor.
During the hearings, Sotomayor dismissed her widely-quoted comment that a “wise Latina woman” could make better decisions than a white male, saying that it was a “rhetorical flourish gone awry.” At least one Republican didn’t buy that explanation:
“I regret that I cannot vote for her … not she’s a Latina woman (or) because she said all those things, (but) because she wouldn’t defend what she said, and stand up and say, ‘I really believe this, but I can still be a great judge anyway, because I will never let that interfere with my judging,’ ” said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
Sotomayor’s nomination now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.
