Sotomayor hearings: Judge 'will be confirmed'

Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, just confidently told reporters that Judge Sotomayor "will be confirmed" -- with strong mustard on the "will."

The math isn't difficult. There are 60 votes in the Democratic caucus. But Leahy urged Republicans not to vote against Sotomayor as a bloc. "I hope it's not a party-line vote," he said."I do believe elections have consequences," he said. "This is a mainstream judge."

Leahy said his biggest concern is making sure Sotomayor is on the bench by the time the high court hears a high-profile argument on campaign finance regulation in early September. "I don't think anyone on either side wants that case heard by an eight-member court," Leahy said.

The Supreme Court typically doesn't start its fall term until October, but the campaign finance case marks a rare exception. Although Sotomayor's hearing is expected to be finished this week, her nomination must still be reported out of the Judiciary Committee and be debated and voted upon on the Senate floor. The Senate will be in recess after the first week of August.

-- James Oliphant

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Comments

[edward gracia]

while it is a great honor for this judge to be nominated to the highest court in our land and to her merit and familiy's as to her hard work, i have one distinct thought, and that is, that i am perfectly content to abide by Our Constitution and not interweave international law into it. good luck judge Sotomayor and may God bless you.