Grassley to oppose Sotomayor

WASHINGTON — The No. 2 Republican on the Judiciary Committee says he’ll vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says Sotomayor didn’t convince him she’d be able to set aside personal biases and prejudices to decide cases impartially. He says he still feels burned by his support for Justice David Souter, who Sotomayor would replace if confirmed.

Souter was named by a GOP president but has turned out to be more liberal than most Republicans wanted.

Grassley’s announcement comes the day before the Judiciary panel is to vote on Sotomayor’s nomination. She’s virtually certain to be confirmed next week.

Only one of the committee’s Republicans, South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, has said he’ll support Sotomayor.