Skip to navigation » Skip to content »

The Newsroom

How late can they go?

FILE - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in on Capitol Hill in AP – FILE - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this July …

We know you're wondering: When will it all end? Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, that is.

A person in a position to know from behind that white marbled wall you see on TV advises us that the hearing will go as late as possible tonight. And by "possible," we mean as long as Sotomayor can sit there in some amount of comfort. Think about Sotomayor's injured leg, we're advised. Swelling is a bad thing.

True, but so is a fourth day of testimony by the high court nominee
Chairman Patrick Leahy's trying to avoid that, and make Thursday all about the public witnesses.

A second knowledgeable person, this one of the opposite party of the first, says the committee is shooting to wrap up the hearings at 6 p.m. EDT, "plus or minus."

Who really knows? Stay tuned.

-Laurie Kellman, AP reporter, Congress