WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Days before the start of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, a new national poll indicates that by a narrow margin, Americans would like the Senate to confirm her as the next Supreme Court justice. Critics warn confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor could turn into a partisan battle. In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday, 47 percent of people questioned would like to see the Senate vote in favor of Sotomayor's confirmation, with 40 percent opposed and 13 percent unsure. Sotomayor, a New York federal appeals court judge, was nominated by President Obama in May to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
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Almost half of Americans favor Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court justice, poll says
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Most Democrats support her while most Republicans oppose, according to poll
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Sotomayor would succeed retiring Justice David Souter
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Confirmation hearings set to start Monday
"Some of @placeholder's popularity may have rubbed off onto Sotomayor in polls conducted by other organizations," Holland said.