Sotomayor vows impartiality if confirmed to court

WASHINGTON — Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee in history, vowed loyalty to "the impartiality of our justice system" Monday, confronting Republican skeptics at Senate hearings suffused with racial politics but all but certain to lead to her confirmation.

"My personal and professional experiences help me to listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case," the 55-year old Sotomayor said in her first substantive remarks in public since President Barack Obama nominated her seven weeks ago.

Her comments amounted to a polite but firm rebuttal to Republicans who have criticized her 2001 comment that a "wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences" might make better rulings than a white male.

Despite GOP misgivings, Democrats command a large majority in the committee and the Senate as a whole, and there seemed virtually no doubt about the ultimate outcome.

"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told her.

"And I don't think you will" have a meltdown, he added quickly as Sotomayor sat listening, her face in a half-smile.

She'll answer questions Tuesday following Monday's day of speechmaking by committee members and her own five-minute statement.

Unlike senators who will vote on her appointment, Sotomayor made no overt reference to her place in history as the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who moved to New York. Instead, she said her life has been "uniquely American," and she recalled a childhood in a south Bronx housing project.

"I want to make one special note of thanks to my mother," she said. "I am here today because of her aspirations and sacrifices for my brother Juan and me."

She turned as she spoke, whispering a thank-you to her mother, seated one row behind her in the packed hearing room.

Sotomayor spoke after listening for hours as Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee praised her as a pioneer well qualified for the high court and Republicans questioned her impartiality and accused Obama of adhering to a double standard in selecting her.

At times, senators of both parties seemed intent on trying to settle old scores at the hearings for the first high court nominee picked by a Democrat in 15 years.