Six Things to Watch at Sotomayor Hearings

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2009 8:21 AM CDT
Six Things to Watch at Sotomayor Hearings
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, wearing a cast on her right foot, on Capitol Hill. Sotomayor broke her ankle when she stumbled at La Guardia airport enroute to Washington.    (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The White House is working hard to ensure an easy confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor, with John Roberts' perfect-10 testimony as a model. Will she sail through? Politico lists six things to watch.

  1. That 'wise Latina' remark. Republicans are obsessed with it, and she needs to explain it without sounding phony. But Dems say she won't apologize.
  2. Her broken ankle. Sotomayor might need an "injury time out" if it acts up—good for sympathy points or a quick breather.

  1. Jeff Sessions. The committee's ranking Republican has vowed to be tough. If he hits hard, other GOP members may follow his lead.
  2. Herb Kohl. The Dems' No. 2 is considered dull and non-confrontational. Will he be able to pump Sotomayor back up if Sessions punctures her?
  3. Praise for President 41. Democrats will remind everyone that the elder Bush appointed her to the federal bench.
  4. Those two guys at the end. Who are the two lowest-ranking Dems on the committee? Party-flipper Arlen Specter, who used to run the show but lost his seniority—and Al Franken, in office for a week.
(More Sonia Sotomayor stories.)

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