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Sotomayor: Some Thumbs Up, Some Thumbs Down
The Senate’s top Republican said Friday he will vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but other GOP Senators say they’ll vote to make Sotomayor the court’s first Hispanic justice.
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WASHINGTON (July 17, 2009)--Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell plans to announce his opposition to President Barack Obama's high court nominee on Monday, a senior aide said.
He said her statements show an alarming lack of respect for the notion of equal justice, and that he's worried she'd let her sympathies and prejudices interfere with her decisions as a justice.
McConnell weighed in as Sotomayor starts to win GOP supporters after a smooth performance at her confirmation hearings.
Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida and Olympia Snowe of Maine all announced Friday they would vote for Sotomayor, who’s She's expected to be confirmed easily.
Lugar said the federal judge is "clearly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court."
He said she demonstrated "a judicial temperament" during her four days of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter, who became a Democrat this year, announced his support for Sotomayor in a statement Friday.
He said she "displayed intellect, restraint and judicial demeanor" at her confirmation hearings.
The only other Republicans to publicly weigh in on Sotomayor's nomination so far are three of the Senate's staunchest conservatives. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Jim Bunning of Kentucky and Pat Roberts of Kansas have said they intend to vote no.
