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Senate Judiciary Commitee Approves Sotomayor In 13-6 Vote

Versha Sharma | July 28, 2009, 12:03PM

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In a 13-6 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. The full list of senators who voted for and against is below.

Sotomayor's nomination will now come before the full Senate, most likely early next week, according to AP reports.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was the only Republican to vote yes for Sotomayor, an interesting turn of events given his tone of questioning during the confirmation hearings. He announced he would vote for her on July 22.

As for those who voted against her confirmation, the favored Republican talking points about her "wise Latina" quote and alleged bias in judging seemed to be the major issues. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) once again said that some of Sotomayor's speeches "bug the hell out of" him, while Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said she didn't explain her more controversial statements satisfactorily during the hearings.

Here's the vote breakdown:

Yes

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen. Edward Kaufman (D-DE)
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

No or No by proxy

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Comments (6) | Join the Conversation!

Recommend Recommend (3)

suydam@yahoo.com

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July 28, 2009 1:11 PM   

Oh boy! This opens the judge to Senate confirmation. Oh double boy! This opens the GOP to more charges of racism against Latinos. Oh triple boy! The rascism of the Republican party is now as out in the open as it can get. Mitch has done his job well, thank God. We needn't worry too much about them any more! Celebrate, cull out a holiday, send off the fireworks! The GOP has self destructed!

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Metzengerstein

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July 28, 2009 1:47 PM   

I will so enjoy voting against that worthless old coot Grassley next year, if I live that long. Not that it will make a bit of difference; he is in for life.

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AnswerFrog

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July 28, 2009 1:56 PM   

Voting in a lost cause against a historic Hispanic nominee who is the most qualified nominee for the high court in a century for absolutely no reason and no gain?

Priceless.

What's the phrase about picking your battles?

LOL

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GTFOOH

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July 28, 2009 2:38 PM   

After all the awful judges that Biden and Leahy confirmed for Orin Hatch, when he was chariman, he really ought to be horse-whipped! But the last laugh will come from the hispanic community, who will see this for what it is! A blatant attempt to appeal to their White base!

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OldenGoldenDecoy

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July 29, 2009 1:03 AM   



Like the old saying goes . . .

Go ahead ... cut your nose off in spite of your face.

And it's not that the Grand Ol' Poobahs weren't warned:

All of that creates "a big problem" for Republicans who want to oppose Sotomayor, says Lionel Sosa, a marketing executive whose GOP clients have included former president George W. Bush and John McCain.

Sosa cautions Republicans against opposing a wave of ethnic pride for the nominee: "If you are Latino, you are for Sotomayor."

Hispanic voters have determined the winner in Florida elections since 2000 and in Nevada since 2004, says Luis Fraga, director of the University of Washington's Diversity Research Institute. He credits divisive debates over immigration with turning Hispanics — who helped elect Bush — away from the GOP.

Republicans must defend Senate seats next year in three states that, according to 2008 Census Bureau estimates, have high percentages of Hispanics: Arizona (29.6%), Utah (11.6%) and Florida (20.6%).

In the past, Hispanics of Central American and Latin American origins might not have identified with Sotomayor because of her roots in Puerto Rico, Fraga says, but now they do.

"There is that pride that the nominee is a Latina," says Estuardo Rodriguez, a director of Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary. The coalition, which includes organizations such as the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, is organizing events in states where the Hispanic population is high and the senators aren't committed to Sotomayor.

USA TODAY On Politics | July 9, 2009

~OGD~

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Tosh

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May 27, 2010 12:02 PM   

Voting in a lost cause against a historic Hispanic nominee who is the most qualified nominee for the high court in a century for absolutely no reason and no gain?

m65 kamagra

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