Sonia Sotomayor

I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one bothered by Republicans' questioning about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's "temperament" during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings this month. Before voting on Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, Senator Amy Klobuchar made clear she believes the confirmation process of Judge Sonia Sotomayor dealt with blatantly sexist undertones. From the Minnesota Independent:

Just read a great article in today's New York Times about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Comparing last week's events with the 1991 hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas, the article has an interesting take on women and the judicial process.

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As one of two women Senators on the Judiciary Committee, I thought you would like a report about the Sotomayor hearings.

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After weeks of build-up and days of hearings and deliberation, Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor has passed the first hurdle on her way to becoming the next justice. The Senate's Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 6 this morning to pass her confirmation on to the Senate for a full vote. South Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham was the committee's only Republican to support the nomination.

A full Senate vote is expected in August.

Just got a note from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (below) about today's Supreme Court nomination hearings. Kirsten sent an email to her supporters letting them know she'll be introducing nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor today at her confirmation hearing.

Last week, Gillibrand joined with other women senators in supporting Sotomayor's nomination. Read their statement here.

Be sure to tune in today!

In case you're curious if Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is fitting in to her new role, here's a great little tidbit for you: During her first hour on the bench, Sotomayor asked more questions than Justice Clarence Thomas asked "over the course of several years." Now, that's hitting the ground running.

We created a special graphic for Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, and many of you told us that a picture was worth a thousand words.

Congratulations, Justice Sotomayor!

After being confirmed by the Senate this afternoon, President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, becomes the third woman on the court and the first-ever Latina. We put together this graphic to show what a historic moment this is.

Let us know what you think.

The following post is part of a series from EMILY's List President Ellen R. Malcolm on women leaders in every branch of government.

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