Sotomayor Vote as Early as 3pm

While Thursday does not always elicit excitement, this particular Thursday (today) may well serve to be an historic occasion. Senate confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor, a Hispanic woman would represent the first Hispanic and only third woman on the high court.

Sotomayor's journey to this point has been described as "an American dream" by Partick Leahy (D-VT), the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. So how do our own New Mexican Senators feel about the nominee?

Freshman Senator Udall has posted on his official site that he, "had the opportunity to meet with her in June and was impressed by her intellect and character. Not only is Judge Sotomayor an exceptionally qualified candidate, but we are now one step closer to putting the first Hispanic, and just the third woman, onto the nation's highest court. I look forward to voting for Judge Sotomayor and encourage my colleagues in the Senate to do the same." Also of note is the Senator's speech on the Senate floor in favor of Sotomayor, which is posted on the same site.

For his part, Senator Bingaman met with Sotomayor in mid-June and has stated that he "was very impressed with Judge Sotomayor . . . She is clearly well qualified and I think she’d be a great addition to the Supreme Court.”

CNN is currently reporting that the official count in favor of Sotomayor within the Senate is 67, which represents 58 Senate Democrats and a handful (9) of Republicans, including the most recent voice of support from Senator George Voinovich of Ohio. (It should be noted that two Democrats, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia are expected to miss the vote due to health concerns.)

Interestingly, several of the Republicans who are opposing Sotomayor's confirmation are from border states with high Hispanic populations, including both Republican Senators from Arizona, Jon Kyl and John McCain. This opposition to the first Hispanic candidate for the High Court is troubling to many within the GOP which recognizes that alienating this fast-growing demographic could hurt the party's chances in the future. (We're not complaining, mind you . . .)

Barring any last minute grandstanding by the Republican holdouts on Sotomayor's confirmation, we can expect to have our newest Supreme Court Justice as early as Friday afternoon. She will also be eligible to rule in the Court's special September session.