Republicans grill Sotomayor on race

Under intense questioning in the second day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Judge Sotomayor repeatedly expressed her respect for the rule of law and denied accusations that she would substitute her personal biases for legal reasoning in reaching decisions on the court.

Some Republicans are concerned by the impression created of attacking someone who will likely become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. Republican strategist Sophia Nelson noted that the hearings appeared to show "a party of middle-aged and older all white and all male senators lament against this extremely well qualified, poised, and dignified judge."

Writing in the Huffington Post Tuesday morning, Nelson called the Republican portrayal of Sotomayor "flat-out wrong" and said she was troubled that Sen. Sessions and other GOP leaders had made a "political decision" to "use the issue of race to divide our country."

Sotomayor was nominated by President Obama to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice David Souter, a George H.W. Bush appointee who became a moderate to liberal vote on the Supreme Court.

The Senate hearings are being broadcast live on several cable news networks and streamed as live video on the Internet.

Despite all the drama, the Democrats have the majority votes needed to confirm Sotomayor and the 60 votes needed to stop a Republican filibuster. In fact, the Democrats' 60th vote, the newest Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that is judging Sotomayor.

Even Republicans have acknowledged that the math is against them. In Monday's hearings, mostly filled with speeches by senators, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina predicted that Sotomayor would be confirmed unless she had a "meltdown," which he did not expect her to do.