Sotomayor denies she would let her personal views affect her rulings on high court

August 5th, 2009 GOP Sen. Bond says he'll vote for SotomayorWASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Kit Bond says he'll support Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, breaking with the vast majority of the GOP.

July 19th, 2009 Sessions remains troubled by Sotomayor's recordWASHINGTON — The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says he remains troubled by some of Sonia Sotomayor's remarks and rulings. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama says he isn't ready to say whether he will vote for or against President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court.

July 19th, 2009 Senate GOP chief: Sotomayor won't get my voteWASHINGTON — The Senate's top Republican says he admires Judge Sonia Sotomayor's personal story but is not going to vote for her confirmation to the Supreme Court. Sen. Mitch McConnell says that he is "a big fan of her career" and biography.

July 16th, 2009 Sotomayor testimony completedWASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has completed three days of answering questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel's top Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, said he expects a Senate floor vote to come before the August recess.

July 16th, 2009 Graham talking more positively about SotomayorWASHINGTON — A Republican critic of Sonia Sotomayor says he's feeling more comfortable about her going to the Supreme Court, saying he hopes she won't let personal opinions drive her rulings. In an exchange with Sotomayor, Sen.

July 15th, 2009 Specter frustrated by nomineeWASHINGTON — As Sen. Arlen Specter sees it, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has an "exemplary" record on the bench.

July 15th, 2009 Sotomayor refers to precedent on abortionWASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is shedding no additional light on her views on abortion, despite persistent questioning from one of the Senate's staunchest abortion opponents. Sotomayor referred to Supreme Court cases establishing that women have a constitutional right to abortions in some circumstances and that the high court must consider whether state regulations pose an undue burden on that right.

July 14th, 2009 Sotomayor questioned about terror suspectsWASHINGTON — A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee appears to be trying to determine how Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor might rule in cases involving U.S. treatment of terror suspects.

July 13th, 2009 Leahy says Sotomayor follows rule of lawWASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says Sonia Sotomayor will be a Supreme Court justice who's "committed to the law" and "not to ideology." Describing Sotomayor as an "outstanding" nominee at the start of her Senate confirmation hearing Monday, Sen. Patrick Leahy denounced what he described as efforts to distort Sotomayor's record and views.

July 13th, 2009 Schumer says Sotomayor is mainstream judgeWASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer says Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a "mainstream" jurist who would not let her personal views interfere with her rulings.

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.

June 30th, 2009 New York City bar: Sotomayor 'highly qualified'WASHINGTON — New York City's bar association says Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "highly qualified" to be a justice. The group calls Sotomayor exceptionally qualified on all its key criteria for a high court nominee.

June 4th, 2009 Sotomayor's personal assets top $1MWASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor says her personal assets top $1 million. Her $1.16 million in assets include her Greenwich Village condo, valued at $997,500; a $20,000 stake in another condominium; and about $109,000 in cars and other personal property.

June 3rd, 2009 Gingrich backs off 'racist' label for SotomayorWASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday he shouldn't have called Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist, but said he was still concerned that she would bring bias to her decisions. In a letter to supporters, the Georgia Republican said that his words had been "perhaps too strong and direct" last week when he called Sotomayor a reverse "racist," based on a 2001 speech in which she said she hoped the rulings of a "wise Latina" would be better than those of a white male without similar experiences.

May 31st, 2009 GOP senator: Sotomayor not better than a white manWASHINGTON — A GOP senator on the committee that will consider Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination says her early life of hardship is praiseworthy. But it doesn't make her better than he or other white men.