“Unless you have a complete meltdown, you’re going to get confirmed”
–Senator Lindsey Graham in this morning’s hearing
The Sotomayor confirmation hearings are under way! This morning we heard opening statements from Senators Leahy, Sessions, Hatch, Feinstein, and Feingold, Schumer, Kyl, and Graham. Sotomayor spoke for only about one minute.
It seemed to me that she looked like she was in a great deal of pain, listening to all those Senators explaining what they expect from a judge, and from her, specifically. Painful references to her as a “wise Latina” and to her “using gender and racial bias to guide her decisions” from the Republicans might have had something to do with it. Probably the high-quality schmoozing she received from the Democrats had something to do with it, too. I would have been uncomfortable and bored, too.
We haven’t learned anything about Sotomayor yet this morning. The afternoon session starts in just ten minutes…I’ll keep you posted. I’ll take on the task of watching the Senators alternately criticize and schmooze, so you don’t have to!
