WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor fended off Republican attacks yesterday, saying “diversity on the bench is good for America” and her legal decisions would be based on law, not racial bias.
Grilled by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sotomayor — who would become the first Hispanic on the U.S. top court — coolly explained the context for one of her most controversial comments: that a “wise Latina” might reach a better legal decision than a white man.
“The process of judging is a process of keeping an open mind,” the appeals court judge told her confirmation hearing, and said all jurists must guard against internal prejudice.
“I believe my record of 17 years demonstrates fully that I do believe that judges must apply the law and not make the law,” Sotomayor, 55, said.
Democrats call Obama’s decision to nominate Sotomayor historic and have emphasized her long career as a prosecutor and appeals court judge. But Republicans have focused on charges that her decisions could show racial bias.
