Sessions grills Sotomayor

Judiciary Committee ranking Republican member Jeff Sessions of Alabama has given Sonia Sotomayor her toughest questioning so far, taking a hard line against the Supreme Court nominee based on her past statements and speeches.

After a quick, cheery greeting, Sessions congratulated Sotomayor on her statement Monday – and then got tough, warning the nominee that she will be grilled. Sessions reminded Sotomayor that her controversial “wise Latina” remark has been part of her speeches for several years.

“It’s not just a sentence. It’s a body of thought over years and years that gives us problems,” Sessions said. “I guess I’m asking today, what do you really believe?”

“I believe my record of 17 years demonstrates fully that judges must apply the law, not make the law,” Sotomayor replied. “In every case I have decided, I have done what the law required.”

Sotomayor went on to repeat her assertion that her 2001 remark was misunderstood and has been taken out of context, explaining that she was speaking to a student audience at the time and repeating that she would not craft policy as a judge.”

Sessions did not back down, reading back to Sotomayor parts of different speeches, with Sotomayor taking occasional notes.

“Life experiences have to influence you,” she told Sessions. “We’re not robots… I think the system is strengthened when judges don’t assume they’re impartial, but seek to identify when their experiences are driving a result.”

In her closest admission to an error, Sotomayor said her remarks, on at least one occasion, “fell flat… It was bad.”