Sotomayor vows impartiality if confirmed

updated 6:29 p.m. ET July 13, 2009

WASHINGTON - Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee in history, vowed loyalty to "the impartiality of our justice system" Monday, confronting Republican skeptics at Senate hearings suffused with racial politics but all but certain to lead to her confirmation.

"My personal and professional experiences help me to listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case," the 55-year old Sotomayor said in her first substantive remarks in public since President Barack Obama nominated her seven weeks ago.

Her comments amounted to a polite but firm rebuttal to Republicans who have criticized her 2001 comment that a "wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences" might make better rulings than a white male.

Despite GOP misgivings, Democrats command a large majority in the committee and the Senate as a whole, and there seemed virtually no doubt about the ultimate outcome.

"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told her. "And I don't think you will" have a meltdown, he added quickly as Sotomayor sat listening, her face in a half-smile.

She'll answer questions Tuesday following Monday's day of speechmaking by committee members and her own five-minute statement.

A 'uniquely American' life
Unlike senators who will vote on her appointment, Sotomayor made no overt reference to her place in history as the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who moved to New York. Instead, she said her life has been "uniquely American," and she recalled a childhood in a south Bronx housing project.

"I want to make one special note of thanks to my mother," she said. "I am here today because of her aspirations and sacrifices for my brother Juan and me."

She turned as she spoke, whispering a thank-you to her mother, seated one row behind her in the packed hearing room.

Sotomayor spoke after listening for hours as Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee praised her as a pioneer well qualified for the high court and Republicans questioned her impartiality and accused Obama of adhering to a double standard in selecting her.

At times, senators of both parties seemed intent on trying to settle old scores at the hearings for the first high court nominee picked by a Democrat in 15 years.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., observed acidly that the current court "has not kept the promises of modesty or humility made when President Bush nominated Justices Roberts and Alito."

A short while earlier, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that as a senator, Obama had opposed Janice Rogers Brown, an African-American and Bush appointee to the appeals court.

"He argued that the test of a qualified judicial nominee is whether she can set aside her personal views" and decide cases on their merits, Hatch said of the president. "But today, President Obama says that personal empathy is an essential ingredient in judicial decisions."

Video   Graham: I don’t know ‘what’s in your heart’ July 13: Sen. Lindsey Graham says Sotomayor will be confirmed unless she has a "complete meltdown." MSNBC

A judge with empathy
That was a reference to the president's statement that he wanted a justice who had empathy as well as a sterling legal resume. Republicans have sought repeatedly to exploit the president's remarks in recent weeks. Often, they use it in conjunction with Sotomayor's 2001 statement that as a "wise Latina" she might be a better judge in some cases than a white male.

Obama named Sotomayor to replace Justice David Souter, who went home to New Hampshire after retiring last month.

While Souter was appointed nearly two decades ago by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, he became a reliable member of the court's liberal bloc. As a result, if she is confirmed, Sotomayor is not expected to alter the court's balance on controversial issues such as abortion and affirmative action.

Sotomayor walked into the hearing room escorted by senators and wearing a white supporting boot for her right ankle, which she injured several days after she was tapped for the court.

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