Opinion: Sotomayor hearings: Another protestor

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Another antiabortion protester just stood up while Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois was giving his opening remarks.

‘Abortion is murder, Sonia Sotomayor!’ a young man in a red shirt cried. He was hustled out of the room.

The ironic thing is that abortion is not expected to be a major focus of these hearings. Sotomayor’s judicial record is almost nonexistent on the subject, to the extent that some abortion-rights groups initially expressed some qualms about whether she would be a reliable vote on the bench.

She is likely to be quizzed, of course, about whether she believes Roe vs. Wade still stands as controlling precedent, but because she is replacing another liberal vote on the high court, her views on the subject may not be of chief concern to her supporters or her critics.

Earlier today the hearings were interrupted by a similar protester.

--James Oliphant

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