美国参议院已经开始对最高法院大法官提名人索托马约的确认听证会。如果参议院确认她的任命，索托马约将成为最高法院第一位拉美裔大法官，她还将是第三位担当此任的女性。
参议院司法委员会主席、民主党参议员莱希盛赞了索托马约所取得的成就和她的司法裁决记录。他呼吁议员们给予索托马约一个公平的听证会，不要歪曲理解她的裁决记录。
资深共和党参议员杰夫.塞申斯对奥巴马总统之前有关大法官任命的评述表示担忧，奥巴马曾说想要任命一位能够同情普通大众忧虑和疾苦的大法官。塞申斯说，他不会投票任命一位允许个人经历、偏见或同情心来影响其决策的法官。
共和党人说，他们会要求索托马约对她有关种族问题的一些公开言论和法庭裁决进行阐述，包括她2001年的一次公开言论，当时她说，一位“明智的拉美裔”女法官往往比没有同样生活经历的白人男法官作出更好的法律裁决。
U.S. Senate confirmation hearings have begun for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who, if confirmed, would be the first Hispanic and the third woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.
Democrat Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, lauded Sotomayor’s achievements and judicial record. He called for a fair hearing and for her record not to be distorted.
Ranking Republican Jeff Sessions expressed concern about President Barack Obama wanting a justice who can empathize with the concerns and struggles of everyday people. He said he will not vote for someone who, instead of being impartial, allows their personal background, prejudice or sympathies to sway their decisions.
Republicans say they want her to explain some of her public comments and rulings about race-related issues, including a comment that a “wise Latina” would make better legal decisions than a white male without the same life experience.