Patrick Leahy

If the number one standard that conservatives use and apply is judicial modesty and humility, no activism on the Supreme Court, they should vote for Judge Sotomayor unanimously.

I hope Judge Sotomayor will answer all questions as fully as possible.

Let me make very clear: There will be no outbursts allowed in this Committee, either for or against the nominee.

No one, including the President, has the right to require ideological purity from a member of the Supreme Court.

Though the Supreme Court is not a representative body, we should hold as an ideal that it broadly reflect the citizens it serves.

And you have both of those.

I believe this comment embodies what President Obama intended when he said he wanted a nominee with 'an understanding of how the world works and how ordinary people live.'

We need--and we deserve--to know what you think about fundamental issues such as civil rights, privacy, property rights, the separation of church and state, and civil liberties, just to name a few.

The courtroom can be the only sanctuary for the little guy when the forces of society are arrayed against him.

Let no one demean--let no one demand--this extraordinary woman, her success, or her understanding of the constitutional duties she has faithfully performed for the last 17 years.

Our Constitution is interesting in this regard. We have over 300 million Americans, but only 101 people get a chance to say who is going to be on the Supreme Court.

I hope all Americans are encouraged by Judge Sotomayor's achievements and by her nomination to the Nation's highest court.

Judge Sotomayor will be in this same mold and will serve as a Justice in the manner of Sandra Day O'Connor.

Ultimately and completely a judge has to follow the law, no matter what their upbringing has been.

Each generation of Americans has sought that arc toward justice.

The President has done his part. He has made a historic nomination. Now the Senate has to do its part on behalf of the Senate people--on behalf of the American people.

I am wary of judicial activism and I believe in judicial restraint.

One attack that I find particularly shocking is the suggestion that she will be biased against some litigants because of her racial and ethnic heritage.

Judge Sotomayor's qualifications are outstanding.

If confirmed, you will join the Supreme Court with more Federal judicial experience than any Justice in the past 100 years.

These issues invite all Americans to struggle with the dilemmas of democracy and the great questions of our Constitution.

We included nearly $4 billion for State and local law enforcement in the economic recovery and investment package enacted earlier this year.

I hope so, too. We passed her out of committee. She is on the floor. I saw that the senior-most Republican in the Senate, Senator Lugar, said he will vote for her, and I just wish we would go forward because the OLC is so extremely…

I agree with the court. I have introduced the State Secrets Act, along with others.

It is a crucial bipartisan law, trying to improve the quality of justice for all Americans using DNA evidence.