On with the show
The time is nearing for Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Count on the senators to eat up a lot of time on Day One with their own opening statements.
That means you probably won't hear Sotomayor's first remarks until late Monday. She'll probably use her allotted time to tell a bit about herself, her family and how she views the Supreme Court.
She would be following precedent: Chief Justice John Roberts used his opening statement to talk a little about his mentor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died right before Roberts' confirmation hearings. It's also where he came out with his often-quoted baseball analogy about judges and the law.
Want to read what Roberts and Samuel Alito said? You can find it here for Roberts and here for Alito.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
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Hearing big news in Puerto Rico; not so much overseas
Sun Jul 12, 3:46 pm ET
Interest in Sonia Sotomayor is sky-high in Puerto Rico, where her rise is seen as a source of national pride. The popular El Nuevo Dia newspaper devoted its front page to the story Sunday, pointing out that her mother grew up in a rural community in southwest Puerto Rico, and that many of her cousins still live in the region.
The paper said many Puerto Ricans are praying for Sotomayor's success. Angela Acevedo told the newspaper she hopes Sotomayor is approved: "If we have Puerto Ricans at NASA, why not in the Supreme Court?"
But the press in Europe seems blasé about Sotomayor, who has generated little controversy. The scandal-hungry British press, dealing with setbacks in Afghanistan and the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death, hasn't paid much attention. The same was true in much of mainland Europe, although one Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter, devoted a whole page Sunday to the upcoming confirmation hearing.
-Gregory Katz , AP reporter, London
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From the newspapers: Sotomayor, the Princeton freshman
Sun Jul 12, 3:40 pm ET
In The Washington Post, Peter Winn, an author and Tufts University professor, discusses his impressions of Sonia Sotomayor when she was a freshman in his Contemporary Latin America course at Princeton. Winn writes that, of all his students in seven years at Princeton, Sotomayor was the one "who took greatest advantage of the opportunities there and emerged most transformed by her experience."
Read the story here.
Other Sotomayor coverage from newspapers around the country:
The Dallas Morning News writes about Texas Sen. John Cornyn and other Republicans promising to keep open minds about Sotomayor.
The Daily News in New York writes about support for Sotomayor coming out of the NAACP's centennial celebration in Manhattan.
The Chicago Tribune compares some of Sotomayor's ideas to some 2,000 year-old Roman codes.
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Ripped from the wire
Sun Jul 12, 3:33 pm ET
The jury: 19 not-so-angry men and women.
In a new dispatch Sunday, AP Supreme Court reporter Mark Sherman writes that the most fertile ground for Republican questioning appears to be Sotomayor's "wise Latina" comment and other questions of race and ethnicity. But it's a delicate issue for Republicans who need to increase their appeal to Hispanic voters. Sen. John Cornyn, expected to be a skeptic in the hearing, noted on "Fox News Sunday" that a third of his constituents are Hispanic.
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Highlights from Sunday morning live chat
Sun Jul 12, 3:17 pm ET
AP's Washington Bureau Chief Ron Fournier hosted a live chat on our @AP_Courtside Twitter account this morning to discuss the Sunday morning news and the Sotomayor hearing.
Ron will be back tomorrow and every day during the hearing at 3 p.m. EDT for a 30 minute re-hash of the day's news.
Some highlights from today's live chat:
Conversation between @AP_Courtside and @BenMarried:
@BenMarried: Has Sotomayor ruled in any divorce cases? #rftalk
@AP_Courtside: Fed judges generally don't rule on divorce cases.There is this interesting #Sotomayor custody case: http://bit.ly/fEiKx #rftalk
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Conversation between @AP_Courtside and @PurpleChamp:
@AP_Courtside: Schumer predicts on NBC that #Sotomayor will get 78-plus votes (Roberts' number). Your turn: How many votes will she get? #rftalk
@PurpleChamp: Sotomayor will get 83-85 votes
@AP_Courtside: Your vote has been locked in.
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Conversation between @AP_Courtside and @mystic23 ():
@mystic23: seems to me McCain is in agreement there with George Bush Sr. on #Sotomayor
@AP_Courtside: Got me there: What has George Bush Sr. said about #Sotomayor? #rftalk
@mystic23: he said the attacks on her are unfair and unwarrented. he's actually appointed her to a post once upon a time.
@AP_Courtside: Doh! I should have known that. It's at our blog: http://bit.ly/3pmHi3 #rftalk
@mystic23: lol, that's funny.
-Lauren McCullough, AP social networks and special projects producer
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Sotomay-har-har-har, Take Two
Sun Jul 12, 3:09 pm ET
David Letterman's Top 10 Surprising Facts about Sotomayor
Our favorites: No. 5 (“From 1983 to 1987, was married to Motor City madman Ted Nugent”) and No. 1 (click the link to see for yourself).
-Lisa Tolin, AP lifestyles editor
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From San Francisco, a case with national health-care implications
Sun Jul 12, 3:00 pm ET
If she’s confirmed, the unabashed New Yorker will be confronted with a San Francisco-created legal question almost immediately.
This fall, the Supreme Court is scheduled to decide whether it should consider the legality of San Francisco's landmark universal health care program, which taxes city businesses to pay for coverage for the city's 60,000 uninsured residents. The city has signed up 43,000 residents since the program's launch two years ago, and Mayor Gavin Newsom is flogging the issue as he stumps for governor.
Several state, county and city governments are ready to start similar programs if the high court passes on the question and lets stand a federal appeals court ruling that authorized the plan. Smart money says the Supreme Court will take up the issue because eight conservative judges of the appeals court tried and failed to overturn their colleagues' decision. The Supreme Court often steps in to settle these so-called "circuit splits."
San Francisco's powerful restaurant lobby is asking the Supreme Court to invalidate the insurance program, arguing that universal health insurance is the exclusive domain of the federal government. They also say it costs them too much.
-Paul Elias, AP Legal Affairs reporter, San Francisco
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SHE SAID IT: Sotomayor's take on judging
Sun Jul 12, 2:57 pm ET
This 2001 comment by Sotomayor made conservatives mad.
"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
This 1997 comment from her appellate court nomination hearing should make them glad.
"I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it."
-Larry Margasak, AP reporter, Congress
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Easy peasy
Sun Jul 12, 2:49 pm ET
Think you've got it tough, Judge Sotomayor? Just ask Clarence Thomas and Robert Bork.
Thomas had to defend accusations of sexual misconduct with Anita Hill, but he eventually was confirmed after adding the term "high-tech lynching" to the American vocabulary.
When Bork's nomination went down, he appeared unfeeling and as if he cared more about legal ideas than the effect the law had on people during his confirmation hearing. Conservatives are still upset about Bork's failure.
This time, there will probably be some heated words and pointed questions, but no one expects Sotomayor to endure the kind of grilling Thomas or Bork went through.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
Judge Clarence Thomas (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Big guns, no smoking
Sun Jul 12, 2:45 pm ET
Talk about a lack of juicy stuff.
The National Archives, along with the presidential libraries of Clinton and the first President Bush, released a mountain of documents about Sotomayor -- more than 5,000 pages.
And, any Supreme Court enthusiast can see them online.
But a smoking gun, there is not.
In fact, there's not much in the new pile that isn't available elsewhere. Many documents were withheld from the public in this release because they contain personal information or insights into administration deliberations that are protected under the Presidential Records Act.
In November 1991, Republican George H.W. Bush nominated Sotomayor to be U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York. In 1997, Democrat Clinton nominated her for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
The new collection has biographical information, court opinions, letters in support of her previous nominations, news clippings, speeches she's given over the years and routine e-mails between Clinton White House staffers. Only a few pages come from the Bush years.
-Cal Woodward, AP reporter, Washington
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Meet and greet – but incomplete
Sun Jul 12, 2:41 pm ET
Sotomayor had "before and after" meetings with 89 members of the 100-member Senate. Before June 8, she was walking from one office to another. Starting June 8, she was hobbling around on a broken ankle after an airport stumble.
Why didn't she meet with all senators? Some said they were voting against her, so why bother?
-Larry Margasak, AP reporter, Congress
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A call from the big kahuna
Sun Jul 12, 2:38 pm ET
It was a pep talk of the presidential kind.
Just back from an overseas trip, President Barack Obama called his Supreme Court nominee from the Oval Office on Sunday to wish her good luck on the eve of her multi-day Senate confirmation hearing.
The White House says the chief executive complimented the judge for making courtesy calls to 89 senators and made a prediction, telling her he was confident she would be confirmed.
No word on what Sotomayor said in return. But we're betting she thanked him again for the opportunity to serve. It's standard fare for most presidential nominees.
-Liz Sidoti, AP reporter, politics
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Staging the show
Sun Jul 12, 2:30 pm ET
The political theater won't unfold in the traditional Senate Judiciary room.
Too small, too cramped.
Instead, the drama will take place in the spacious Hart Senate Office building room where the last two confirmation hearings for John Roberts and Samuel Alito occurred.
But it wasn't proceedings that made the building famous. The structure arguably is best known for being evacuated in 2001 because of anthrax powder sent through the mail.
The Judiciary Committee moved to the Hart building, which is larger, just after it opened Roberts' hearing in the Caucus Room in the Russell Senate office building. That room was the site of hearings on the sinking of the Titanic, the Watergate scandal, and Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court nomination.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
Hart Senate Office building
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsavais)
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What to expect: tons of talk
Sun Jul 12, 2:30 pm ET
Imagine sitting in a classroom and being forced to listen to more than 19 different professors each give you different lectures back to back to back.
To back.
That's what Sonia Sotomayor will have to endure during the first day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Senate Judiciary Committee members will give opening statements on Monday, and Sotomayor must sit at a table before the panel and listen to each member of the committee talk -- and talk and talk -- before she gets to get a word in edgewise.
Oh, they'll let her introduce her family and a couple of senators -- most likely her home state New York champions, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will extol her virtues to the committee. But mostly, Sotomayor will sit alone at a table, watching members of the Senate Judiciary Committee talk to her and at her – not with her.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
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In the hearing room: Ask the experts
Sun Jul 12, 2:00 pm ET
Don't forget! AP reporters will be stationed in the Senate room where Sotomayor's confirmation hearing will take place this week. They’ll be blogging right back to this space. Have a question for them? Send it to us on Twitter @AP_Courtside.
In the meantime, they answered this one: What one key thing don't you know about Sotomayor that you hope to learn during the hearing?
Laurie Kellman: "Does she in fact hope that a wise Latina would make a better decision?"
Jesse J. Holland: "Sotomayor's rumored to have a temper, so will any of the Republicans' jibs get to her or can she really hold her tongue?"
Larry Margasak: "How well she'll handle the pressure. Will her personality come out, will she be loose and even joke a few times, or will she be tight as a drum?"
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Watch and learn -- Supreme Court TV
Sun Jul 12, 1:50 pm ET
Who is Sonia Sotomayor? What are the names of Supreme Court justices? The AP asked those questions on the streets of New York and Washington -- and the answers captured in video are, well, classic.
More must-see video: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., sat down with AP to talk about Sotomayor's confirmation hearing this week. And if you want to know how Sotomayor has been preparing for her time in the spotlight, AP Supreme Court reporter Jesse J. Holland explains the "murder board." (About as scary as it sounds.)
Find the videos here.
And keep coming back. Stay tuned for more!
-Liz Sidoti, AP reporter, Politics
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Blast from the past: Cheney back in the news
Sun Jul 12, 1:09 pm ET
Sunday was supposed to be the curtain raiser for Sonia Sotomayor and her Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Instead, Dick Cheney stole the show.
On the eve of her Senate debut, the TV talk shows were dominated by reports that the former vice president directed the CIA eight years ago to keep Congress in the dark about the spy agency's counterterrorism program.
So rather than giving Washington -- and the rest of the country -- a concentrated dose of Sotomayor's professional and personal profile (John McCain called her "a great American success story" on NBC's "Meet the Press"), the Sunday circuit coughed up chunks of Cheney:
-- Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said Congress should investigate whether Cheney and others in the Bush administration ordered the CIA to conceal the program.
-- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said the Bush administration may have broken the law.
-- Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, suggested that the criticism is designed to give political cover to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is under GOP attack for claiming she wasn't briefed about Bush-era intelligence.
-Ron Fournier, AP Washington bureau chief
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SAY WHAT? A glossary guide, Take Two
Sun Jul 12, 12:40 pm ET
Here's another primer for you on phrases you're likely to hear senators utter this week during the Sotomayor hearing.
STRICT CONSTRUCTIONIST: A judge who reads the Constitution "almost as a Bible and can somehow find out what the founders wanted on the major issues of the day," says Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian. The changes in society that have taken place over the past 200-plus years? Irrelevant. Conservatives take this as a compliment.
ORIGINALIST: Similar to constructionist. A judge who believes the Constitution means the same thing today as it did when it was drafted in the summer of 1787, making no allowance for societal changes. They believe the Constitution's meaning can only be changed by amendment. "Our manner of interpreting the Constitution is to begin with the text and to give that text the meaning that it bore when it was adopted by the people," Justice Antonin Scalia once said.
LIVING CONSTITUTION: Reflects the idea that the world has changed since the founding of this country. Therefore, while the Constitution provides a good framework for decision-making, legal decisions have to adjust to modern realities. Originalists don't buy this; activist judges do.
-Nancy Benac, AP reporter, White House
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Missed opportunity?
Sun Jul 12, 12:31 pm ET
Republicans might have been able to lay claim to the first Hispanic justice, if Senate Democrats hadn't blocked his way.
In 2001, Republican President George W. Bush tried to place Washington attorney Miguel Estrada on the federal appeals court in Washington. It has long been a proving ground for Supreme Court justices, including four current members of the court.
Estrada, a Honduran immigrant who graduated from Harvard Law School, "could have been the first Hispanic justice," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Sunday – if, that is, Democrats hadn't blocked his confirmation to the appeals court.
Back then, the Senate was closely divided and Democrats prevented Estrada's nomination from coming to a vote on the Senate floor seven times over two years. Estrada eventually withdrew his nomination.
Now President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has nominated Sonia Sotomayor, who has Puerto Rican roots. And even Republicans say her confirmation is all but assured.
-Mark Sherman, AP reporter, Supreme Court
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The Supreme Court name game: Blind to justices
Sun Jul 12, 12:25 pm ET
Quick! Name a Supreme Court justice.
Can't? You're not alone.
Americans know the names of Hollywood celebrities and sports stars. But many draw a blank when it comes to Supreme Court justices.
Check out this video if you’re in doubt.
And there's this new C-SPAN poll.
It shows that more than half of Americans can't name any Supreme Court justice.
Is President Barack Obama's nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, any more well known? Not so much. More than half -- 57 percent -- couldn't name the person nominated by the president to serve on the Supreme Court. Still, most people did know that she would be the first Hispanic on the court.
-Christine Simmons, AP reporter, Washington
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A family affair: They'll be right behind her
Sun Jul 12, 12:15 pm ET
Who can we expect to offer silent support by sitting behind Judge Sonia Sotomayor in the hearing room this week?
Sotomayor's 82-year-old mother, Celina Sotomayor, and the matriarch's husband, Omar Lopez, plan to be there. Also certain to be on hand: Sotomayor's brother, Juan; her sister-in-law, Tracey; her niece, Kiley; and her twin nephews, Conner and Corey Sotomayor.
After President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor, her doctor brother told ABC that his sister was "tough as nails." Even so, the family's turning out to lend support.
-Philip Elliott, AP reporter, White House; Larry Margasak, AP reporter, Congress
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NBC's 'Meet the Press': McCain calls Sotomayor 'a great American success story'
Sun Jul 12, 11:50 am ET
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he believes Sotomayor will be approved by a large margin, possibly by more than the 78 votes that Chief Justice John Roberts received.
Asked whether he supports Sotomayor, Sen. John McCain said: "I'd just like to see the hearings starting on Monday." The Arizona Republican and former presidential candidate called the nominee "a great American success story."
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'Fox News Sunday': Cornyn and 'judicial philosophy'
Sun Jul 12, 11:45 am ET
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, acknowledged that Republicans won't block Sotomayor's confirmation as the Supreme Court's first Hispanic justice. But he said: "we're going to talk about her judicial philosophy."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she never discloses before a vote whether she'll give a nominee a thumbs up or a thumbs down. But she said this case is different: "I take enormous pride as a woman in voting for her. I find her amazing."
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ABC's 'This Week': Kyl vows to be 'thorough'
Sun Jul 12, 11:45 am ET
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., outlined the GOP strategy: "To be as thorough as possible" in questioning Sotomayor.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., praised Sotomayor as a "moderate jurist" who has "done an exceptional job."
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CBS' 'Face the Nation': Committee chair hopes for no 'partisan fight'
Sun Jul 12, 11:45 am ET
Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.: "I suspect she will be confirmed but I would hope it does not turn into a partisan fight for the good of the courts and for the good of the Supreme Court."
Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.: "I am really flabbergasted by the depth and consistency of her philosophical critique of the idea of impartial justice."
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Just ahead: Sunday morning talk show chatter
Sun Jul 12, 11:35 am ET
Call it the pre-game warm up.
Democratic defenders of President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee and Republican critics of Sonya Sotomayor made the rounds on the Sunday morning news talk shows. The programs are heavily watched by Washington insiders, including political operatives, journalists and lawmakers. These are the people who will shape the "narrative" ahead of Sotomayor's multi-day confirmation hearing that starts Monday in the Senate.
The goal for both sides: repeat their talking points enough so that the arguments make it into the media's storyline for the hearing.
Predictably, White House-dispatched Sotomayor supporters praised her qualifications while GOP senators raised questions about whether she will inject bias into her rulings.
Both sides previewed arguments you're likely to hear next week. Repeatedly. To the point where your eyes may glaze over.
Democrats expressed confidence Sotomayor will be confirmed, and even Republicans suggested the nomination wouldn't fail. But GOP senators also made clear they would ask tough questions.
Stay tuned for a look at what some of them said.
Also: Did you tune into any of the shows? Want to chat about it? Write to us with your thoughts on Twitter at @AP_Courtside.
-Liz Sidoti, AP reporter, Politics
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The confirmation hearing by the numbers
Sat Jul 11, 11:00 pm ET
Senate Judiciary Committee members: 19
Committee Democrats: 12
Committee Republicans: 7
Committee members with law degrees: 13
Witnesses Republicans intend to call: 14
Witnesses Democrats intend to call: 15
Votes needed to send Sotomayor's nomination to the full Senate: 10
Senate Democrats: 58
Senate Republicans: 40
Senate independents, though they both lean Democratic: 2
Votes needed to overcome a filibuster and move to a final vote on Sotomayor's nomination: 60
Chance Sotomayor's nomination fails: None, say Democrats. Slim to none, say Republicans.
Any interesting numbers that we missed? Send your suggestions to us @AP_Courtside on Twitter and we'll post them here.
-Natasha Metzler, AP reporter, Washington
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Live Chat with AP's Ron Fournier on Twitter
Sat Jul 11, 10:45 pm ET
Tomorrow (July 12, 2009) at 9 a.m. EDT, AP's Washington Bureau Chief Ron Fournier will be taking over our @AP_Courtside Twitter account. He'll be tweeting thoughts and analysis from the Sunday morning news shows and talking to you about the #Sotomayor confirmation hearing.
Have a question? Send it to @AP_Courtside and be sure to include the hashtag #rftalk in your tweet.
We're looking forward to hearing from you.
-Lauren McCullough, AP social networks and special projects producer
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@Sotomayor hearing to feature new technology for #media and #SupremeCourt and #Senators (please RT)
Sat Jul 11, 10:40 pm ET
Twitter was just a twinkle in someone's eye during the last Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
The year was 2006 and the month was January when the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Justice Samuel Alito. That March, Twitter was born.
Now, tweets from major news organizations, including The Associated Press, will flow out of the hearing room with journalists providing a play-by-play account of the proceedings. Some of the senators themselves could even tweet from the hearing room. Some judiciary members' Twitter accounts: SENARLENSPECTER, OrrinHatch, SenatorSessions, russfeingold, TomCoburn, GrahamBlog, JohnCornyn, ChuckGrassley.
These brief messages -- 140 characters or less -- will flood the cell phones and computers of Twitter subscribers. Follow @AP_Courtside on Twitter.
Compared with the last hearing, also expect much more coverage next week from Spanish-speaking press.
If confirmed Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic justice, and Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the population, are closely monitoring her confirmation process.
-Ann Sanner, AP reporter, Washington
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Texans talk about the Sotomayor confirmation
Sat Jul 11, 10:00 pm ET
San Antonio Express-News columnist Victor Landa writes about the firsts that are associated with Sotomayor's nomination.
The Dallas Morning News editorializes about key topics that senators should question Sotomayor about.
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THEY SAID IT, Take One: Senators talk Sotomayor
Sat Jul 11, 6:00 pm ET
"She'll be confirmed," predicted Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on July 2.
"She comes across as somebody with a very strong personality who has a very clear sense of who she is and what she stands for," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., after a private meeting with the nominee in June.
(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
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Guess who nominated Sotomayor to the federal bench?
Sat Jul 11, 5:45 pm ET
Sotomayor's nomination hearing certainly will take on a partisan tone.
So it may surprise you to learn that she was nominated to the U.S. District Court by none other than President George H.W. Bush.
As in, a Republican.
Wonder what the 41st president thinks of her now?
Bush 41 recently told CNN: "She should be given a fair hearing. She should be accorded every courtesy that goes with her record as a judge and her aspirations to be a Supreme Court justice. And I have a feeling she will be confirmed. But again, I don't go into that day in and day out ..."
"I think she's had a distinguished record on the bench."
-Larry Margasak, AP reporter, Congress
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Senate action, empty court
Sat Jul 11, 5:20 pm ET
Don't expect to see any Supreme Court justices wandering Capitol Hill -- or even the Supreme Court itself -- during Sonia Sotomayor's time in the spotlight.
The court's on summer vacation, with most of the justices out and about -- and likely far from Washington.
They issued their last opinions on June 29 and won't return until Sept. 9, when the court will hear special supplemental arguments on the Citizens United v. FEC case.
That's the one where a conservative group is challenging federal judges' ruling that a critical documentary about Hillary Rodham Clinton shown during presidential primary season should have been regulated like a campaign ad. If Democrats have their way, Sotomayor will be confirmed and ready to sit on the high court by that date.
The court officially goes back to work full-time on Oct. 5. That's the first Monday in October, their traditional start date.
- Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
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Sotomay-har-har-har
Sat Jul 11, 5:00 pm ET
So far, Sotomayor hasn't tickled late night comedians' funny bones much, aside from when she broke her ankle. That hasn't stopped them from using her as a punchline to make fun of Rush Limbaugh, Clarence Thomas, Joe Biden, U.S. senators and the media.
Here's a sampling:
Jimmy Fallon: "On his radio show yesterday, Rush Limbaugh called Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a 'reverse racist.' I got to hand it to Limbaugh. That guy is a reverse genius."
Jay Leno: "And during her confirmation hearings, Judge Sotomayor is going to get tough questions from the senators. But I think she'll be fine. I mean, this is a woman who spent her whole life in the courtroom, so she's used to being around criminals."
Stephen Colbert demanded to be admitted to the all-women group from which Sotomayor recently resigned, Belizean Grove. He said: "Some out there have questioned Sotomayor's membership, specifically the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary committee, who have their own single-sex club called the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary committee."
And then, there was Conan O'Brien. "When he introduced Sotomayor, I thought President Obama was extremely gracious. Vice President Biden, however, did not handle the event, as well. Take a look."
Obama (in video): "I'd like all of you to give a warm greeting as I invite Judge Sotomayor to say a few words. Congratulations."
Biden (dubbed): "I really like chimichangas. And quesadillas. And tacos. Do you have swine flu?"
Heard any other funny Sotomayor jokes? Share them on Twitter, and we'll share our favorites -- @AP_Courtside.
-Lisa Tolin, AP lifestyles editor, New York
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Tongue-tied
Sat Jul 11, 4:20 pm ET
What's in a name?
Or rather, if you're Sonia Sotomayor, what's in the pronunciation of a surname?
President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, who would be the first Hispanic justice on the high court if confirmed, has watched everyone from senators to pundits to journalists try to verbalize -- and inadvertently butcher -- her family's name.
All of them at one point or another have put the accent on the first syllable (SOH'-tuh-my-er), or come up with some other mangled variation.
They're all wrong.
Here's setting the record straight.
She pronounces her surname like this: soh-toh-my-YOR'. That's an accent, there, on the final syllable.
Sotomayor -- say it out loud, now: soh-toh-my-YOR' -- describes herself as a Nuyorican, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent. It's a bit hard to tell that she was born in the Bronx when she says her name; she pronounces it with Spanish-language intonation, with a half-trill on the "r" at the end of her last name.
Here's David Letterman's take.
So the question is: Just how many senators on the Judiciary Committee will mispronounce it during her confirmation hearing? We're betting more than one.
-Liz Sidoti, AP reporter, Politics
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Hearing prelude will slow down the action
Sat Jul 11, 3:45 pm ET
The Great Sonia Sotomayor show, ballyhooed for months, will open late.
Well, it'll commence promptly at 10 a.m. or thereabouts Monday, but the star player won't say much for a while.
Why?
Because in the grand traditions of the U.S. Senate, her hosts will run the clock -- if not warm up the audience -- with a litany of opening remarks.
What self-respecting senator could actually sit silently before the glaring lights, the forest of microphones and cameras tilted to the ready? Which senator can pass up the moment as the nominee quakes in her seat while millions around the world watch?
Some have gone down in this setting. Ask Robert Bork. Clarence Thomas survived -- barely. But the rich ways of the "world's most deliberative body" have always persevered, and that won't change on Monday. Or in the ensuing days.
In this case, the prelude competes with the story.
-Merrill Hartson, AP veteran news editor and reporter, Washington
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Right in my backyard
Sat Jul 11, 3:30 pm ET
All Supreme Court cases are local.
Perhaps no community in the country will be more tuned in to the Sotomayor confirmation hearing than New Haven, Conn. -- for two reasons.
The city is the hometown of what is sure to be the most talked about case during the hearing, a lawsuit filed by white firefighters who claimed they were denied promotions because of their race. Sotomayor was part of a three-judge federal appeals panel that ruled against the firefighters last year. The Supreme Court reversed that decision last month.
Sotomayor also is a graduate of Yale Law School, and that's located in New Haven.
The New Haven Register has compiled its local coverage of the case, including videos, community reaction and editorials. You can watch and read here: http://nhregister.com/sotomayor/
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Harvard vs. Yale on the high court
Sat Jul 11, 2:45 pm ET
If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor would help Yale Law School draw close to even with arch-rival Harvard in a two-horse race for Supreme Court bragging rights.
When Chief Justice John Roberts was confirmed in 2005, it looked like the Supreme Court might be trading in its black robes for Crimson. It was the first time five graduates of one law school served simultaneously. A sixth, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, attended Harvard Law but graduated from Columbia.
But with the appointment of Yale Law grad Samuel Alito, and Sotomayor in line to replace Harvard Law grad David Souter, the score could fall back to Harvard 4 (Roberts, Kennedy, Scalia, Breyer), Yale 3 (Thomas, Alito, Sotomayor). Justice John Paul Stevens attended Northwestern Law School.
All-time, Harvard leads with 14 graduates who have served, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter. Sotomayor would be No. 9 for Yale (which has a smaller student body). Until the early 20th century, most justices did not formally study law.
The court's heavy load of graduates from elite law schools has worried some, who think it creates a group-think (though conservative Scalia and liberal Breyer both attended Harvard). They'd like to see more graduates of state schools or even people with non-legal backgrounds. There's no requirement a Supreme Court justice have a law degree.
-Justin Pope, AP Education Writer
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How many senators did their homework?
Fri Jul 10, 8:00 pm ET
"There's already been a lot said about Judge Sotomayor. I think we need to hold our fire until we examine all of these opinions and writings," Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., said recently.
Sotomayor obliged Kyl and other Republican skeptics by flooding Judiciary Committee members with some 5,000 pages in response to their questions.
If you're from a state with a Judiciary Committee senator, you might want to e-mail the office with this question: How many of those 5,000 pages has the senator read?
For instance, you can contact Kyl here.
You can find the address for your senator here.
-Larry Margasak, AP reporter, Congress
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Sonia Sotomayor, The Movie?
Fri Jul 10, 7:53 pm ET
If anyone wants to make a biopic of Sonia Sotomayor, Rosie Perez is ready for her audition.
“Oh my God, I'd be so honored," the actress and choreographer told the New York Daily News. Like Sotomayor, Perez is a New Yorker born to Puerto Rican parents. But the similarities ended as they chose career paths. Sotomayor never danced on “Soul Train.”
Read the full story here.
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Ouch! The nominee's pre-game injury
Fri Jul 10, 7:26 pm ET
Sotomayor very well may be the first Supreme Court nominee ever to hobble into a Senate hearing room sporting a certain type of footwear -- the not-so-fashionable, not-by-choice kind.
It's a cast on her right ankle.
She's expected to arrive on crutches Monday, and then sit at the witness table with her injured leg propped up on a chair.
Typically, nominees stand up to stretch or leave the room when the committee takes breaks.
But Sotomayor isn't expected to be move much because of her injury -- and that could make for very long days.
She tripped last month while rushing for a plane in New York, and suffered a small fracture.
The burning question: whose signatures adorn the cast?
None, it turns out.
An aide reports that it's a soft cast -- the kind that can't be scrawled on.
-Liz Sidoti, AP reporter, Politics
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
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You ask, we answer
Fri Jul 10, 7:00 pm ET
Pose your own questions to AP reporters and their sources by following @AP_Courtside. Here's what you've asked so far:
Q: From @Pdad
@AP_Courtside What will Nominee Sotomayor say about allowing cameras into Supreme Court Oral Arguments?
A: @PDad AP's Julie Hirschfeld Davis says @SenArlenSpecter will likely ask #Sotomayor about the cameras issue. No word yet on what she will say
@PDad AP's Laurie Kellman adds that @ChuckGrassley asked Samuel Alito & John Roberts about cameras. It's possible he'll ask #Sotomayor, too.
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Q: From @bschwartz
@AP_Courtside some people want #sotomayor to be a diabetes awareness advo but justices aren't supposed to be advos. How does she mesh that?
A: AP's Liz Sidoti says whether Sotomayor wants to or not, she'll be an advocate simply by being known as a justice who has diabetes
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Q: From @B4ADavid
@AP_Courtside Given the fed suit filed by MA (re: DOMA) this wk, should it go b4 SCOTUS, do we have an indication how Sotomayor would vote?
A: Hard to know whether the DOMA case will make it to SCOTUS, how Sotomayor would vote. Nominees keep their cards close to the vest.
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From @AP_Courtside
Odd #SupremeCourt fact: Former chief justice John Marshall's bladder stones are on display at the Mutter Museum in Pa.
Q: From @beadinglady
@AP_Courtside Is that like KIDNEY stones? Just asking..
A: Here's the definition from MayoClinic.com
-Lauren McCullough, AP social networks and special projects producer
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You've been briefed
Fri Jul 10, 6:45 pm ET
Voting on Sotomayor's fitness for the Supreme Court?
The White House recommends "Judge Sonia Sotomayor, Nominee for The United States Supreme Court -- Briefing Materials for the Confirmation Hearings."
The 129-page manual, distributed to every senator, highlights what the White House believes are Sotomayor's most important rulings.
Not chosen as one of her "Ten Most Significant Rulings:" Ricci v. DiStefano.
It's the ruling endorsed by Sotomayor and overturned by the Supreme Court last month -- and it's easily the most talked-about case of her record.
New Haven, Conn., scrapped test results intended to determine promotions for firefighters after the black firefighters who took the exam did not score high enough to qualify. The 5-4 high court ruling supported the reverse discrimination claims by white firefighters.
Elsewhere in the briefing book, the White House instead highlighted three race discrimination in employment cases that conservatives might like better.
In them, Sotomayor ruled against African American plaintiffs.
-Laurie Kellman, AP reporter, Congress
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Puerto Rico for Dummies
Fri Jul 10, 6:03 pm ET
Sonia Sotomayor’s parents came from a small, Spanish-speaking island east of Florida, famous for its turquoise Caribbean waters, sandy beaches, and a sometimes testy relationship with Washington.
No, not THAT island. "The Island of Enchantment," aka the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The U.S. won the island from Spain in the Spanish-American War, and Puerto Ricans became citizens in 1917, just in time for the World War I draft. The island became a commonwealth in 1952, earning its people the right to self-govern.
Like Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and that inside-the-beltway island known as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico gets only one nonvoting member in the House of Representatives and zilch in the Senate. Its residents can vote in U.S. presidential primaries, but not the general election.
Its roughly 4 million inhabitants remain di