Senate Judiciary Committee to Vote Today on Sotomayor; Gun Rights an Issue
Only one Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has announced that he will support Judge Sonia Sotomayor for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in the vote scheduled for today.
Yesterday, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., announced that he will vote against Sotomayor, saying her speeches and writings indicate “dramatic expressions of an activist view of judging,” the Associated Press reports. Just one Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has indicated support for Sotomayor, the National Law Journal reports.
The announcement means the vote on Sotomayor will likely split largely along party lines, according to the NLJ. Some Republicans who were unsure of their Sotomayor vote may be opting to vote no due to opposition by the National Rifle Association, AP says.
During her confirmation hearings, Sotomayor refused to say whether the Second Amendment applies to the states as well as the federal government, causing concern for gun-rights supporters.
Even so, Sotomayor is expected to win quick confirmation, according to AP.
