GOP senators repeatedly interrogate Sotomayor on ruling in reverse discrimination case

July 27th, 2009 GOP Sen. Sessions to oppose SotomayorWASHINGTON — The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Monday he'll vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, siding with his party's leaders against the judge who's on a fast track to becoming the first Hispanic justice. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., weighed in on President Barack Obama's first high court choice the day before his panel is scheduled to vote on her nomination.

July 17th, 2009 White firefighter's frustrations are undercurrentWASHINGTON — He spoke, this 35-year-old firefighter, to frustrations that still ripple in an undercurrent across the nation. Frank Ricci, who is white, sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday and spoke in a steady, deliberate voice about how he studied hard, played by the rules, and was denied a promotion because of the color of his skin.

July 16th, 2009 Firefighter denounces Sotomayor rulingWASHINGTON — A Connecticut firefighter who lost an appeals court ruling by Sonia Sotomayor has told a Senate panel that in his line of work, advancement has to be determined by skill and qualifications. Frank Ricci was among a group of white New Haven firefighters who were denied a promotion when city tossed out the results of an exam because not enough minorities had scored well enough to be promoted.

July 16th, 2009 1 more day of questions for SotomayorWASHINGTON — Barring a monumental mistake, Sonia Sotomayor has to endure only a few more hours in the witness chair before she can look ahead to her eventual confirmation as a Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor returns for a third and final day of questioning Thursday, having avoided saying much on a range of hot-button issues, including guns and abortion.

July 16th, 2009 Firefighter says Sotomayor's ruling divides peopleWASHINGTON — Frank Ricci, the white firefighter who recently won his reverse discrimination case at the Supreme Court, said Thursday that an unfavorable ruling by Sonia Sotomayor and other judges "divides people who don't wish to be divided along racial lines." Ricci and his firefighting colleague from New Haven, Conn., Lt. Ben Vargas, denounced the appeals court ruling by Sotomayor and two other judges on the federal appeals court in New York.

July 16th, 2009 Firefighter criticizes Sotomayor over rulingWASHINGTON — Frank Ricci, the white firefighter who recently won his reverse discrimination case at the Supreme Court, said Thursday that an unfavorable ruling by Sonia Sotomayor and other judges "divides people who don't wish to be divided along racial lines." Ricci and his firefighting colleague from New Haven, Conn., Lt. Ben Vargas, denounced the appeals court ruling by Sotomayor and two other judges on the federal appeals court in New York.

July 14th, 2009 Sotomayor: Ruling in firefighter case was narrowWASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has defended her ruling against white firefighters who accused the New Haven, Conn., government of engaging in reverse discrimination against them. At the prompting of Democratic Sen.

July 13th, 2009 Liberals, conservatives battle over RicciWASHINGTON — Firefighter Frank Ricci, scheduled to testify about Sonia Sotomayor's ruling against his reverse discrimination lawsuit, was targeted for criticism Monday by powerful liberal groups who support her confirmation to the Supreme Court. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans decided last week to make Ricci, a white New Haven, Conn., firefighter, one of their showcase witnesses on Thursday.

July 13th, 2009 Historic Sotomayor confirmation hearings under wayWASHINGTON — In the glare of bright lights, Sen. Patrick Leahy called to order confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor that she hopes will make history and knows will be closely followed by millions.

July 6th, 2009 GOP senator: Will race infect Sotomayor rulings?WASHINGTON — A top Republican senator said Monday that he wants to find out whether Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor would let racial bias affect her decisions as a justice. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he assumes Sotomayor understood and supported the stance of a civil rights group she advised in the 1980s that brought several race discrimination lawsuits for minorities who challenged jobs or promotions given to white employees.

July 5th, 2009 Colin Powell attacks critics of SotomayorWASHINGTON — Colin Powell, one of the nation's most prominent African-Americans, is going after people who attacked Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because of her stand in favor of affirmative action. Powell, who's from the same Bronx neighborhood in New York as Sotomayor, said she should face "a spirited set of hearings" in the Senate.

June 30th, 2009 Foes of Sotomayor emboldened by discimination caseWASHINGTON — Foes of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor celebrated the high court's reversal of her decision in a reverse discrimination case. The 5-4 ruling Monday, backing of reverse discrimination claims by white firefighters, is unlikely to derail Sotomayor's nomination — and it may not even sway a vote.

June 29th, 2009 Supreme Court bidding goodbye to SouterWASHINGTON — It's Justice David Souter's last day on the Supreme Court and he'll be ruling on a case familiar to the woman nominated to replace him. It's a reverse discrimination case filed by white firefighters in New Haven, Conn.

June 11th, 2009 Senator: Sotomayor accepts gun rights rulingWASHINGTON — A Democratic senator said Thursday that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sees a 2008 ruling affirming Americans' right to own guns for self-defense as settled law. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said Sotomayor told him at a private meeting that she will work from the high court's decision in District of Columbia v.

May 29th, 2009 Sotomayor to meet with senators next weekWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee will hold her first meetings with senators next week. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor will meet Tuesday with Democratic Sens.