Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued the following statement today after the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:
“Judge Sotomayor is an extremely accomplished jurist, and I was proud to vote for her confirmation.
“Her sterling 17-year record as a District and Circuit Court judge makes clear that Judge Sotomayor will respect the role of Congress as representatives of the American people; that she will decide cases based on the law and the facts before her; that she will not prejudge any case but listen to every party that comes before her; and that she will respect precedent and limit herself to the issues that the Court must decide; in short, that she will use the broad discretion of a Supreme Court Justice wisely.
“I’m disappointed that so few of my Republican colleagues took this opportunity to join in support of a highly qualified and moderate judge who falls well within the mainstream of American legal thought. Hopefully history will remember today for the historic confirmation of an eminently qualified woman who will be our first Latina Supreme Court Justice. I look forward to Judge Sotomayor’s excellent service for many years to come.”
