Obama's Supreme Court nominee to be approved by August

Jul 16, 2009, 19:30 GMT

Washington - US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor should be approved before the Senate takes a month-long summer break on August 10, Republicans conceded Thursday as she ended a gruelling three days of questioning from senators.

'I look forward to you getting that vote before we recess in August,' said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate's Judiciary Committee.

US President Barack Obama's choice of Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic justice, has sharply divided conservatives and left- leaning politicians, and prompted questions over the role of race in US society.

But politicians on both sides praised Sotomayor's handling of the confirmation hearings this week, though she avoided taking stands on controversial political topics including abortion, gun control and affirmative action.

'I think through these proceedings, the American people have gotten to know you,' said Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

'You've done a good job. You've had a good humour. You've been direct in your answers, and we appreciate that,' Sessions said.

With Democrats controlling 60 seats in the 100-member Senate, there has been little doubt that Sotomayor will be approved for a life-time appointment to the nine-member Supreme Court.

But many conservatives have said they will oppose her nomination over criticism that she lacks impartiality and will favour minorities.

Sotomayor, 55, is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants and grew up in a poor borough of New York City.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has said he may vote for her, said she had been 'generally in the mainstream' during 17 years as a federal judge, but some of her past speeches 'just bugged the hell out of me.'

Sotomayor has repeatedly insisted during the hearings that she will be an impartial justice who shows 'fidelity to the law.' She expressed regret once more Thursday for a past remark at the centre of the conservative attacks - that she hoped a 'wise Latina' would reach a better decision than a white male.

'I regret that I have offended some people,' she said. 'I believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent to leave the impression that some have taken from my words.'

While the questioning of Sotomayor has ended, the Judiciary Committee's will hear from other witnesses until at least the end of the week.

Witnesses in the coming days will include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and members of the American Bar Association, a legal association that gave Sotomayor its top rating as a judge.

Republican opponents will bring forward two firefighters to testify about a court case involving Connecticut fire department, which cancelled a round of promotions because no African Americans had qualified on a written test.

Sotomayor was part of a New York appeals court that backed the fire department. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling last month overturned the decision.