10 seconds ago 2009-11-10T12:00:04-08:00
When Sonia Sotomayor finishes answering questions, the pace of the hearing will increase tremendously.
The public witnesses who are scheduled to speak will for the most part come in, give a quick speech and then leave. Many of the senators don't even hang around for the public witness part of confirmation hearings. You may have a couple senators ask questions of the witnesses, but those will go by quickly.
The only exception to this will be the New Haven, Conn., firefighters Frank Ricci and Ben Vargas. Senators will come back to hear from these two men, considering Republicans have used the New Haven firefighter case to criticize Sotomayor. Look for GOP senators to also criticize liberal groups that have been digging in Ricci's past to find something to use against him, since he is expected to criticize Sotomayor's decision in his lawsuit.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
