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NY1 covers the confirmation process for Bronx-born U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

07/19/2009 04:24 PM

Republican Leaders Continue Criticism Of Sotomayor

By: NY1 News

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Republican leaders took to the airwaves Sunday to say they remain troubled by Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor stance on some issues.

During the confirmation hearings, Republicans questioned the Bronx native on her controversial "wise Latina" comment from a 2001 speech and a discrimination case involving the New Haven Fire Department.

On CNN's "State of the Union," the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Jeff Sessions says he still has not decided how he will vote.

"I was troubled by a number of the things that the nominee has said, a number of the rulings that she has made," Sessions said Sunday morning. "And I think it is a very serious and awesome responsibility to launch someone on a lifetime appointment with the power to, in effect, amend the Constitution, when they render a ruling that alters its classical meaning."

But Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy blasted some of the scrutiny on Sotomayor's involvement with the Puerto Rican Defense Fund.

"The idea of trying to say, 'well, you know, she was on the Puerto Rican Defense thing, and so we have to ask some questions about that.' I hope we don't go back to the day when we used to have African-Americans up for confirmation and say, 'yes, but you belong to the NAACP, so, you know, we're really suspicious of you,'" said Leahy. "Come on, stop the racial politics."

The committee could vote as early as Tuesday.