Sonia Sotomayor completed her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, making way for the testimony of witnesses. The most anticipated of those witnesses was Frank Ricci and Ben Vargas, two New Haven Firefighters who filed suit against the City of New Haven for throwing out test scores that were considered to be discriminatory.
Today’s testimony was much like the previous day’s, with Republican members and their witnesses harping on race, guns, and abortion. It become a joke, really, and they will likely pay a political price with women and Hispanics. There were several Republicans who stated that they had no desire to filibuster her nomination, which is a good thing considering that they were talking civil war during the Roberts and Alito hearings, when Democrats threatened a filibuster.
There should be a committee vote on Sotomayor’s nomination early next week, and the full Senate should vote shortly after. I don’t know how many Republican votes she will get, but she will certainly be confirmed prior to the August recess.
TarHeelPirate 