(Senate) Panel votes in favor of Sotomayor nomination

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC/AP

Full Senate is expected to vote on her nomination next week


WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted 13-6 in favor of Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's pick to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.

The full Senate is expected to vote on her nomination next week.

Sotomayor appears headed to quick confirmation as the first Hispanic justice despite opposition from a growing chorus of conservative Republican senators who say she would bring liberal bias to the high court.

Just one Republican, Lindsey Graham, joined panel Democrats in voting for Sotomayor.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32176010/ns/politics-white_house/

[soleft]

1. .

[onehandle]

2. Liberal Bias on the Supreme Court? Tell you what, get your five conservatives to step down...

...and we'll drop Sotomayor.

Deal?

[kimmylavin]

19. I know!

Where do they get off, making statements like that?
And how do they do it with straight faces???

[Tx4obama]

3. Graham deserves a pat on his back for his speech/comments. n/t

[George II]

4. Yes, he seems to be coming around on some issues (but still has a long way to go overall)

[nevergiveup]

7. I can't stand Graham

but must give him a pat on the back on this one. It will be interesting to see how his buddy, John McCain votes when her nomination goes before the Senate.

[ashling]

26. I think he just drew the short straw

so that the Repub vote wouldn't seem entirely one sided

[George II]

5. Enhorabuena!!!!

[keroro gunsou]

18. perdona me...

en englais por favor... my spanish is especially poor of late ^_^;

[George II]

21. CONGRATULATIONS!!

[keroro gunsou]

23. thanks...

wow i feel dumb... but in the language i normally speak (other than english), it's be omedetou de gozaimasu sotomayor-sensei.

[Richd506]

6. K & R!!!!!!!!!!!!

[liberal N proud]

8. Lindsey Graham voted yes?

The world must be coming to an end.

[LiberalLovinLug]

9. Republican senators [who] say she would bring liberal bias to the high court

In other words she wouldn't bring a racist, homophobe, old boy's club, corporate shilling, anti-choice bias to the high court.

[JayMusgrove]

13. THAT about summarizes those Rethuglicans, and

I fail to understand how they can object to her. She isn't exactly a leftie liberal.

[CLANG]

24. and she won't be an all around filthy, disgusting pig-nosed nationalist corporatists neocon shitbag!

[Fire1]

10. Liberal bias? Outstanding. n/t

[elocs]

11. If a nominee to the SC is qualified, regardless of their politics, they should be confirmed.

This seems to be or to have become the philosophy of both Graham and my senator Feingold. This does not preclude hard questioning, but it seems to be a reasonable position. If Sotomayor is qualified, she should be confirmed, but that door swings both ways. If a Republican president nominates a candidate who is as qualified as Sotomayor, then that person deserves to be confirmed even if they are right of center in their politics. We should not have one set of rules for liberals and one for conservatives and neither should they. I am sure there will be conservatives who are pissed at Graham in the same way Liberals have not been happy with Feingold for his confirmation votes.

[4lbs]

12. Graham's vote was of the "pinched turned up nose" variety.

He said earlier that even though he has serious problems with her and her statements, he was going to vote for her because he thought she was qualified enough.

[indimuse]

14. knr! n/t

[cyberswede]

15. I think Graham voiced his support too early

...and he was stuck. Then, after all the other republicans (especially Hatch) said they weren't voting yes, I bet a million dollars that Graham was kicking himself, but he had to vote how he said he would.

[barbtries]

16. good nt

[question everything]

17. How many Latino constituents does Grassley have?

Several weeks ago he told a CNN reporter that he has always voted for every Supreme Court nominee, but that now he gets calls from home.

We've heard that Republican senators with large Latino constituents may vote for her (unless they get Karl Rove memo to f**k them, they don't vote for us, anyway). Thus, I suppose that there are not many Latino voters in otherwise lily white Iowa.

[beltanefauve]

25. Don't know about the Latino population

in that state, but "lilly white" Iowa chose Obama and set the tone for the rest of the primaries. The times, they are a'changin', and Grassley is just another one of those dinosaurs who is out of touch with his constituents, I think.

[The Blue Flower]

20. Seattle Times: GOP to use Sotomayor as Campaign Fodder

This article was in this morning's Seattle Times. All I can say is I REALLY hope they do this to remind everyone who isn't a 20%-er how racist they are:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009548544_soto28.html

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee today is expected to vote overwhelmingly to back the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice on the U.S. Supreme Court — and conservatives are mobilizing to use the vote against vulnerable Democrats in next year's elections.

All 12 Democrats and at least one of the panel's seven Republicans, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, are expected to vote for the 55-year-old federal appellate judge. The full Senate will probably debate, vote and confirm her on a largely party-line vote next week.

Conservatives see the votes as important political ammunition in the 2010 campaign.

"Republicans can reap significant political benefits by voting against her confirmation and making her an issue in key races next year," conservative activist Ralph Reed told his supporters in a memo.

[George II]

22. Good!! It will do them nothing but harm - "bring 'em on"! Ralph Reed???? HAHAHAH

[bread_and_roses]

27. I presume Obama is keeping score on how well "bi-bipartisanship" has been embraced by the Rs? n/t