Sonia Sotomayor confirmation to the appeals court would put Sotomayor in a better position for a possible Supreme Court nomination (despite there being no vacancy at the time nor any indication the Clinton administration was considering nominating her or any Hispanic). Therefore, the Republican majority decided to slow her confirmation. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh weighed in that Sotomayor was an ultraliberal who was on a "rocket ship" to the highest court. During her September 1997 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sotomayor parried strong questioning from some Republican members about mandatory sentencing, gay rights, and her level of respect for Supreme Court
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination would like to see Sotomayor confirmed by the beginning of the Senate recess on August 7, 2009. On June 9, 2009, Patrick Leahy announced that Judiciary Committee hearings on Sotomayor's nomination would begin on Monday, July 13, 2009. The Senate Judiciary Committee convened for the first day of Confirmation hearings on July 13, where Senator Charles Schumer proclaimed that the opportunity that Sotomayor has could not have happened "anywhere else in the world", saying that America is "God's noble experiement". Out the many notable speakers, the Committee also welcomed newly sworn in Senator Al Franken (D-MN), who marked his first