Sotomayor deflects questions on abortion

On her second day fielding questions, Sotomayor sidestepped when Cornyn asked whether she stood by or disavowed a controversial 2001 remark that a "wise Latina" judge would often make better decisions than a white male.

She said she stood by her explanation Tuesday that the words were a rhetorical flourish gone awry.

Cornyn persisted, asking whether she would regret it if her audience of students understood her to be saying that the quality of a judge depended on race, gender or ethnicity.

"I would regret that," she said of any misunderstanding of remarks that have caused more pre-confirmation controversy than any other issue.

Sotomayor, appearing more relaxed on the third day of nationally televised Senate hearings, shared a few light moments with her interrogators while fielding questions on serious issues.

Asked by Coburn whether the Second Amendment confers a right to personal self-defense, Sotomayor posed a hypothetical in which the senator threatened her with bodily harm and she went home to get a gun and shoot him.

"I don't want to suggest I am, by the way," Sotomayor said, to laughter from the audience and Coburn.

Coburn responded with his own jibe: "You'll have lots of 'splainin' to do.'" His remark echoed a refrain often heard on a 1950s situation comedy, "I Love Lucy," in which the main character's Cuban-born husband Ricky Ricardo would often say with exasperation, "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do."

At another point, when Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said she had run into Sotomayor's mother in a ladies' room and noted that she "has plenty of stories she'd like to share about you," Sotomayor begged the senator with a laugh, "Don't give her the chance!"

And she shared a chuckle with the Senate's only professional comedian, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., about their mutual love of the TV series "Perry Mason."

Asked by Franken at the close of his questioning which was the lone case the prosecutor Hamilton Burger won during the show's run, Sotomayor was at a loss.

"Didn't the White House prepare you for that?" Franken asked with mock incredulity, referring to the meticulous rehearsals Obama's team held with Sotomayor to get her ready for her Senate grilling.

"You're right," Sotomayor said. "But I was spending a lot of time on reviewing cases."  

More from msnbc.com Thanksgiving is about odd family dynamics Elkhart Project: Money pours in, pet adoptions increase Swine flu fears for hajj pilgrims First Read: Pardon my turkey, and other trivia 570,000 pager messages from 9/11 released   Silver Lining: Tales of struggle and hope On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House Section Front

Obama: Too many fear end of American dream President vs. party on troop increase Aspiring reality TV stars crash Obama party U.S. sets climate target ahead of summit Obama to speak Tuesday on Afghanistan policy Records show White House health care talks The history of presidential turkey pardons NYT: Medical debt spurs more bankruptcies Obama's first pardon: A turkey called 'Courage' Stars are out at White House state dinner The White House Section Front   Add The White House headlines to your news reader: