They said it -- and said it, and said it

The Supreme Court nominee sat still and attentive for hours while each senator had their say on her life, career and record. A quick look at the earful Judiciary Committee members and senators who introduced her said about Sonia Sotomayor:

"I would trust that all members of this committee here today will reject the efforts of partisans and outside pressure groups that sought to create a caricature of Judge Sotomayor while belittling her record and achievements, her intelligence. ... Let no one demean this extraordinary woman." -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., committee chairman.

"I will not vote for -- no senator should vote for -- an individual nominated by any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court." -- Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., ranking member on the committee.

"One attack that I find particularly shocking is the suggestion that she will be biased against some litigants because of her racial and ethnic heritage." -- Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

"The Supreme Court is meant to be a legal institution, not a political one." -- Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

"I do not believe that Supreme Court justices are merely umpires calling balls and strikes. Rather, I believe that they make the decisions of individuals who bring to the court their own experiences and philosophies." -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

"Judge Sotomayor: some of your opinions suggest that you would limit some of our basic constitutional rights -- and some of your public statements suggest that you would invent rights that do not exist in our written Constitution." -- Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

"A nominee's experience as a legal advocate for civil rights certainly must not be seen as a disqualifying criterion for confirmation, but instead the hallmark of an individual's commitment to our founding principles of equality, justice and freedom." -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., as she introduced Sotomayor.


-Natasha Metzler, AP reporter, Washington

(This version CORRECTS that Gillibrand is not a member of the Judiciary
Committee.)