Jun 9, 2009 10:00 am US/Pacific
Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings Set For July
8 Law Enforcement Groups Endorse Nominee
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
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Supreme Court Justice nominee, Sonia Sotomayor arrives at the U.S. Capitol June 2, 2009 in Wasington.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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President Barack Obama announces United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor (L) of New York as his Supreme Court nominee as Vice President Joe Biden (C) watches at the White House May 26, 2009 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy says confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor will convene on July 13.
Leahy said the date presents a "reasonable schedule" that would give members of the committee several more weeks to prepare.
President Barack Obama has urged the Senate to vote on confirming Sotomayor to the high court before it leaves for a congressional recess in August. Republicans have pressed for more time to consider the nomination.
But Leahy said there was "no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee. She deserves the opportunity to go before the public and speak of her record." The Vermont Democrat said that as a judge, she will only be able to speak publicly about her record when the hearings convene.
Meanwhile, eight national law enforcement organizations are endorsing Sotomayor.
The groups announced their support for the judge at the White House. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Sotomayor is a highly qualified nominee who will be an "able champion of the law."
Vice President Joe Biden thanked the organizations for supporting Sotomayor, and said her "lifelong commitment to law enforcement is hard to argue with." She once worked as an assistant prosecutor in Morgenthau's office.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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