Sotomayor Confirmation Hearing Begins Today

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Monday that the confirmation hearing for the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 13.

The hearing will be held in room 216 Hart Senate Office Building. The hearings will webcast live online.

WATCH HERE STARTING AT 10 AM EST:

Before the hearings even began, ranking Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) went on CBS' "The Early Show" and called the nominee "outside the mainstream." While he said Sotomayor's record as a judge "is better than her speeches," he claimed that her liberalism "will flower" if she joins the Supreme Court.

The witness list:

American Bar Association Witnesses

Kim Askew, Chair of Standing Committee
Mary Boies, Primary Reviewer

Majority Witnesses

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York
Chuck Canterbury, National President, Fraternal Order of Police
David Cone, former Major League Baseball pitcher
JoAnne A. Epps, Dean, Temple University Beasley School of Law, on behalf of the National Association of Women Lawyers
Louis Freeh, former Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Michael J. Garcia, former U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York
Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Patricia Hynes, President, New York City Bar Association
Dustin McDaniel, Attorney General, State of Arkansas
Robert Morgenthau, former District Attorney, New York County, New York
Ramona Romero, National President, Hispanic National Bar Association
Congressman Jose E. Serrano, New York 16th District
Theodore M. Shaw, Professor, Columbia Law School
Kate Stith, Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law, Yale Law School
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Minority Witnesses

Linda Chavez, President, Center for Equal Opportunity
Sandy Froman, Esq., Former President, National Rifle Association of America
Dr. Stephen Halbrook, Attorney
Tim Jeffries, Founder, P7 Enterprises
Peter Kirsanow, Commissioner, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
David Kopel, Esq., Independence Institute
John McGinnis, Professor, Northwestern University School of Law
Neomi Rao, Professor, George Mason University School of Law
Frank Ricci, Director of Fire Services, ConnectiCOSH (Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health)
David Rivkin, Esq., Partner, Baker Hostetler
Nick Rosenkranz, Professor, Georgetown University School of Law
Ilya Somin, Professor, George Mason University School of Law
Lieutenant Ben Vargas, New Haven Fire Department
Dr. Charmaine Yoest, Americans United for Life

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Comments

[Lahonda]

Would Clarence Thomas pass muster if he were presented as the nominee in this day and age?

Ms. Sotomayor is a very worthy selection.

[DimBulb2]

nice job sonia
it will be interesting to see how fox reconfigures her statement to make her look SCARY

[DimBulb2]

nice statement by amy klobuchar
after the repud "latina" stuff
a nice quote from HHumphrey: America is “all the richer for the many different and distinctive strands of which it is woven.”

[MikaS]

Yes, Minnesota should be proud.

[larryjackshon]

I loved this guy in Trading Places as the baggage handler.

I was always puzzled how Dan Akroyd's blue blood, upper crust 'Winthorp' could pull off such a good 'Yardie' accent.

[DimBulb2]

reporting second anti-abor tion protest

dumped twice, what gives?
facts are not allowed?

[DimBulb2]

was it saying:
going for the hat trick?

[DimBulb2]

calling him a wingnut?

[lompe]

Coburn (R-OK) on judges' ability to empathize: "Most of our judges understand what it's like to be old."

Bwahahaha

[MarcusT]

A little intermission fun:

www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

[DimBulb2]

bad link
too bad, looked like fun

[MarcusT]

Goog it.

[MarcusT]

In 1995, for instance, a man convicted of bribery and conspiracy named Wlodek Jan Lech sought to sanction federal prosecutors who'd kept secret information that would have helped the defense. Sotomayor agreed that the prosecutors' actions were "disturbing" and "astonishing," and she said she was "placing them on notice" that a recurrence could bring more serious consequences. Nonetheless, she sustained the prosecution's case.

[cbates]

I appreciate the learning of different opinions held by the various Senator, I don't appreciate the grand standing around political philosophies. Having heard those opinions I think it is time to move forward and vote. The oath is the standard and nothing else can determine how this person will rule as referenced by Roberts and Alito performance. I do look forward to her saying I will uphold the oath of office. Enough already, this is not a theater. There is other work to be done. The agenda is long and busy.

[DimBulb2]

it is a theater
and this is what they call work

[sasha34]

the republicans have paid protesters inside the hearing. Notice the outbursts occurs when Dems are speaking.

[blah2 0]

I think they are turning more people off than winning them

[DimBulb2]

why would you interrupt your own?

[MarcusT]

Please tell me you don't really believe this.

[MikaS]

After the break - Sen. Klobuchar, Sen. Kaufman. Sen. Specter, and Sen Franken

[DimBulb2]

love the sound of that
sen. franken

[blah2 0]

Wow, these Anti-abortion folks are going crazy

[PA Blue]

And another interruption from a protester.

[rockyb26]

the repubs think that adding "congratulations and god bless you" at the end of their diatribes erases all of the stoopid attacks they made. wrong

[blah2 0]

It seems like MSNBC and CNN selectively show Republican statements and often go to commercial in the middle of or cut of Democrats statements

[PA Blue]

Watch a live feed online. No interruptions.

[rockyb26]

i've noticed the same thing. i also didn't appreciate the way MSNBC cut away from Dr. Benjamin's acceptance speech for Sen. Cornyn

[sasha34]

I noticed that too all in the tank for the rethugs.

[Lahonda]

They're hi-liting the conflicts. Any good producer knows the Dems will be more accommodating.