GOP Sen. Graham to Vote Yes on Sotomayor
The two senators announced their positions one day after Republicans requested delaying the vote to confirm Sotomayor for another week.
"Her life story ... is something that every American should be proud of, and if her selection to the Supreme Court will inspire young women, particularly Latino women, to seek a career in the law, then that is a good thing and I hope it will," Graham said, according to the Associated Press.
During Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, Graham said he would possibly vote to approve her confirmation out of deference for President Obama, since "elections matter."
Yet he also bluntly laid out his Republican colleagues' objections to her nomination. With respect to Sotomayor's past comments that a "wise Latina woman" may come to better judicial decisions than a white male, Graham said, "If I'd said such things about the superiority of a Caucasian made, I'd have had my head handed to me."
Kyl on Wednesday harkened back to that critique to explain his opposition to Sotomayor's nomination.
"I remain unconvinced that Judge Sotomayor believes judges should set aside biases, including those based on race and gender, and render the law impartially and neutrally," Kyl said, the AP reported.
Kyl was particularly critical of Sotomayor's comments during the confirmation hearings regarding the ruling she contributed to in the New Haven firefighters case, which was overturned by the Supreme Court. In that case, white firefighters said they were discriminated against when they were denied promotions.
"Her answers answered nothing," he said.