Hatch, however, said liberals' strategy against conservative nominees "is like cooking spaghetti: They throw everything at a nominee and, when something sticks, the nominee is done."

He added, "Make no mistake — the single most important issue for these groups is abortion. Merely a suspicion that nominees may harbor personal pro-life beliefs is sometimes enough to prevent confirmation."

While Democrats questioned whether Brown is too extremely conservative and outspoken to be trusted on the bench, she noted that some senators in private meetings had told her not to take such criticism personally. "People have said to me, 'Well, you know, it's not personal. It's politics. It's not personal.' I just want to say to you that it is personal. It's very personal to the nominees and the people who care about them," she said.

She vowed to uphold the law, even if she personally disagrees with it. However, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., told her, "Justice Brown, your record is that of a conservative judicial activist, plain and simple. You frequently dismiss judicial precedence . . . when it doesn't comport with your political views."

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E-mail: leed@dgsys.com