Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court Nomination : NPR

Senate Begins Debate On Sotomayor Nomination

August 4, 2009 • The full Senate began debate Tuesday on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. With all the Democrats and a handful of Republicans expected to vote for her, there was little doubt President Obama's first high court nominee would be confirmed.

6 GOP Senators To Vote In Favor Of Sotomayor

July 31, 2009 • The U.S. Senate vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor may tell us more about the Republican party than it does about the nominee. Just six Republicans have so far announced their support for Sotomayor. The latest is Tennessee's Lamar Alexander.

6 GOP Senators To Vote In Favor Of Sotomayor

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Senate Panel Backs Sotomayor Nomination

July 28, 2009 • The Senate Judiciary Committee votes to send Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. Just one Republican joined Democrats in the 13-6 vote for President Obama's first high court nominee.

Sotomayor Appears Close To Confirmation

July 17, 2009 • Republicans promise that the full Senate will vote on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court by early August. Jeff Sessions, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican, has abandoned calls for a delay in the vote until September.

Sotomayor Appears Close To Confirmation

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Senate Moves Closer To Sotomayor Vote

July 16, 2009 • Judge Sonia Sotomayor appeared poised to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice Thursday, with the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee saying the GOP won't block a vote on her nomination.

Sotomayor's Careful Means To High-Stakes Ends

July 16, 2009 • As senators wrapped up their questioning of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday, she remained to the end — and by design — as ideologically elusive as those who came before her. It's a script that partisan politics demands of court nominees.

This Latina Moment: Sotomayor Spurs Debate

July 16, 2009 • If she is sworn in, Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. Since her nomination, a cultural debate has opened among many Latinos. Author Gustavo Arellano and Latina Magazine editor-in-chief Mimi Valdes Ryan talk about what Sotomayor's nomination means for Hispanic identity in the U.S. and what this moment in American history means to them.

This Latina Moment: Sotomayor Spurs Debate

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Highlights From Sotomayor's Confirmation Hearing

July 16, 2009 • Judge Sonia Sotomayor is expected to wrap up her confirmation hearing testimony Thursday. We'll hear audio excerpts of highlights from the day's discussions, and talk with Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor of Slate.com, about Sotomayor's performance and why she argues that senators on both sides dropped the ball.

Highlights From Sotomayor's Confirmation Hearing

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Sotomayor Back For Another Round Of Questions

July 16, 2009 • Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor returns to the Senate Judiciary committee Thursday for what is expected to be her fourth and final day on the witness stand. There were more questions about abortion on Wednesday.

Sotomayor Back For Another Round Of Questions

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To Confirm Sotomayor, Yawn. Rinse. Repeat.

July 15, 2009 • If Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee intended to finish off Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor's critics by inducing boredom — and many privately suggested that was the point — consider the mission accomplished, or just about.

Sotomayor Shies Away From Hot-Button Issues

July 15, 2009 • From abortion and gun rights to gay marriage and assisted suicide, Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday repeatedly deflected questions on controversial issues from senators vetting her Supreme Court nomination.

Another Day Of Questions For Sotomayor

July 15, 2009 • Judge Sonia Sotomayor is back before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Sotomayor answered questions from several members of the committee Tuesday. At issue were her previous statements about life experience and impartiality, and her handling of the New Haven firefighters case.

Another Day Of Questions For Sotomayor

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Senators Share Spotlight With Sotomayor

July 15, 2009 • The Senate Judiciary Committee spent Tuesday questioning Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor about her judicial philosophy among other things. Dana Milbank, a columnist for The Washington Post, was at the hearing, and he tells Steve Inskeep it was a great opportunity for political theater.

Senators Share Spotlight With Sotomayor

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Sotomayor Differs With Obama On 'Empathy' Issue

July 14, 2009 • Judge Sonia Sotomayor told senators Tuesday that she disagrees with the president's statement that "what is in the judge's heart" can be critical in some judicial decisions. "It's not the heart that compels conclusions in cases, it's the law," she said.

Special Coverage Of The Second Day Of Confirmation Hearings

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In The Hot Seat, Sotomayor Is Model Of Judicial Cool

July 14, 2009 • Sonia Sotomayor is known as a judge who doesn't hesitate to challenge lawyers. That straight-up judicial personality was on full display Tuesday. The Supreme Court nominee remained unflappable during a barrage of aggressive and persistent questions from Senate Republicans.

Special Coverage Of The Second Day Of Confirmation Hearings

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Sotomayor To Answer Judiciary Panel's Questions

July 14, 2009 • Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is back before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. She listened to hours of comments at her confirmation hearing Monday before getting a chance to give her own opening statement. Senators of both parties praised her personal accomplishments.

Sotomayor To Answer Judiciary Panel's Questions

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Sotomayor: 'Fidelity To The Law' Guides Me

July 13, 2009 • Judge Sonia Sotomayor told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday that her experiences "help me listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result." Republicans raised concerns about her impartiality, while Democrats praised her years on the federal bench.

Ghosts Of Nominees Past Haunt Sotomayor Hearing

July 13, 2009 • As senators debated Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination Monday, some of them really seemed to be fighting old political battles over former judicial nominees — including Chief Justice Roberts.

Opening Statement: Judge Sonia Sotomayor

July 13, 2009 • Read the opening statement, as prepared for delivery, by Judge Sonia Sotomayor on the first day of her confirmation hearings to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Opening Statement: Sen. Jeff Sessions

July 13, 2009 • Read the opening statement, as prepared for delivery, by Sen. Jeff Sessions, ranking Republican of the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the beginning of the confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Opening Statement: Sen. Patrick Leahy

July 13, 2009 • Read the opening statement, as prepared for delivery, by Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the beginning of the confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hearings To Begin On Sotomayor Nomination

July 13, 2009 • The Senate Judiciary Committee opens confirmation hearings Monday on the nomination of judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans privately acknowledge that her nomination could probably only be derailed by a major blunder at this point.

Hearings To Begin On Sotomayor Nomination

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