. >> mr. leahy. >> aye. >> mr. levin. >> aye. >> mr. lieberman. >> aye. >> mrs. lincoln. >> aye. >> mr. lugar. >> aye. >> mr. martinez. >> aye. >> mr. mccain. >> no. >> mrs. ms. ccaskill. >> aye. >> mr. mcconnell. >> no.

quorum call: quorum call: mr. leahy: mr. president?he presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to the executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, supreme court of the united states, sonia sotomayor of new york to be an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the time until 2:00 p.m. will be equally divided, in one hour alternating blocks of time with the majority controlling the first hour. the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: thank you. thank you very much, mr. president. we began debate yesterday on this historic nomination of judge sonia sotomayor of the supreme court. senator reid and senator feinstein and nor menendez, senator whitehouse and senator brown gave powerful statements, pow

mr. leahy: would the senator yield? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i say to my friend, the distinguished senator from alabama on the floor, we've also discussed this. senator sessions and i will open the debate, as the leader has said. and then i really would hope -- i've suggested that everybody on this side check with the staff. we are seaght up a list. again, i would urge people to come at the times they said. i agree with you that if they don't, we go to the next person. and finish it up. i would hope that would not be the case. long quorum calls and then everybody says, let's talk. i think the leaders have set up a fair schedule and we should go forward. the presiding officer: the substitute amendment, as amended, is agreed to. the clerk will read the bill for the third time. the clerk: calendar number 105, h.r. 2997, an act making appropriations for agriculture, rural verntle and so forth and for other purposes. -- rural development, and so fort

. >> mr. leahy. >> aye. >> mr. levin. >> aye. >> mr. lieberman. >> aye. >> mrs. lincoln. >> aye. >> mr. lugar. >> aye. >> mr. martinez. >> aye. >> mr. mccain. >> no. >> mrs. ms. ccaskill. >> aye. >> mr. mcconnell. >> no. >> mr. menendez. >> aye. >> mr. bmerkley. >> aye. >> ms. mikulski. >> aye. >> mr. nelson of nebraska. shepard: judge sonia sotomayor has just been confirmed as the next supreme court justice of the united states. it takes 50 to confirm her and she is now confirmed. history has just been made in the united states. the first latina to sit on the supreme court. the fastest growing minority population in america, which at some point will continue to grow and be a very, very powerful voting block. judge sonia sotomayor, the young woman from the bronx, n.y., who paid her way and earned her way and impressed a lot of people along the way. she has no major place in history. -- she has made her place in history. >> we do not know where she is. she may be at the white house. when justice samuel alito underwent this process, he was watching television at th

mr. leahy: reize and john salazar wrote we are disappointed. it is not -- by the record or hearing testament. he said that more than ever specifically she said it confers an individual right as recognized by the supreme court in its heller decision. and the letter continues, this is my point, even more troubling it appears are you holding judge sotomayor to a different standard than you held judges roberts and alito when they were nominated to the court or for that matter any previous nominee to the court. i think it is a double standard when those two men were nominated by a republican president, they didn't have this standard. when this woman was nominated by a democratic president, suddenly they change the standard. the double standard, as they went on to say the double standard you set for judge sotomayor is a disservice to all members of the n.r.a., particularly those who are hispanic, and i was mystified why the n.r.a. is hostile to the right of gun owners in evaluating judge sotomayor by

mr. leahy: thank you, mr. president. we're about to conclude senate consideration of this nominee. i thank those accepts who have evaluated this -- those senator whose have evaluated this nomination especially the republican senators who have shown the independence to join the bipartisan confirmation of this historic nomination and i thank all senators on both sides of the aisle who spent hours and hours and days and days in our hearings. some critics have attacked president obama's nomination of judge sotomayor by contending the picture for the supreme court to substitute "empathy" for the rule of law. these kittic critics are wrong t the president, they are wrong about sonia sotomayor. let's leave off the rhetoric and go to the facts. when the president announced choice of judge sotomayor ten weeks ago he focused on the qualities he sought in a nominee. he started with rigorous intellect, mastery of the law. we should all agree with that. he then referred to recognition of the limits of the judicial role when he talked about an understanding that a judge's job was to interpret no

mr. leahy: thank you, mr. president. we're about to conclude senate consideration of this nominee. i thank those accepts who have evaluated this -- those senator whose have evaluated this nomination especially the republican senators who have shown the independence to join the bipartisan confirmation of this historic nomination and i thank all senators on both sides of the aisle who spent hours and hours and days and days in our hearings. some critics have attacked president obama's nomination of judge sotomayor by contending the picture for the supreme court to substitute "empathy" for the rule of law. these kittic critics are wrong t the president, they are wrong about sonia sotomayor. let's leave off the rhetoric and go to the facts. when the president announced choice of judge sotomayor ten weeks ago he focused on the qualities he sought in a nominee. he started with rigorous intellect, mastery of the law. we should all agree with that. he then referred to recognition of the limits of the judicial role when he talked about an understanding that a judge's job was to interpret no

i'm delighted to be joined by my neighbor, mr. leahyin support of senator sonia sotomayor -- in support of sonia sotomayor. this week we have the opportunity to make history, to bring an hispanic and only the third woman to the united states supreme court. senator klobuchar spoke eloquently about the challenges women faced and i'm pleased to say as governor i appointed the first woman to the new hampshire supreme court. i come today to the floor to speak in support of sonia sotomayor's nomination, however not because of the historic nature of that nomination, but because she is more than qualified to sit on the supreme court. i'm really somewhat perplexed by why the vote on her nomination will not be unanimous. judge sotomayor is immensely qualified. the nonpartisan american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary, which has evaluated the professional qualifications of nominees to the federal bench since 1948, unanimously -- unanimously -- rated sotomayor as well-qualified to be a supreme court justice after carefull

mr. brown: i ask unanimous consent that chan park on senator leahy's judiciary staff be granted floor privilegesr the remainder of the 111th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: i ask that mike be allowed floor privileges during the debate of justice sonia sotomayor. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i rise today as i have every day for the last week or so, to share some letters from ohioans from people in mansfield, glainsfield, people all over the state. we hear about the exclusivity, gateway and all of these washington terms that people don't necessarily understand. but we don't talk enough about how this health care legislation -- the presiding officer: will the senate be in order. please remove your conversations from the well and the floor. the senator from ohio. mr. brown: we don't talk often enough. we don't think often enough about how this health care system today -- the damage it's doing to the country. we don't think often enough about the situation people -- the situations people find themselves in be

leahy. they applauded mr. holder's appointment of a special prosecutor but said an independent truth commission is still necessary. >>> meantime, the obama administration's decision -- or continued renditions, little notice amid yesterday's other news has drawn heavy criticism from human rights groups. >>> let's turn now to an attorney who has conducted extensive investigations into the cia interrogation and detention program, also a contributor to "the daily beast," john sifton. thank you for your time tonight, sir. >> thank you. >> we'll get to mr. cheney in a moment. but about 36 pages out of 109 in this inspector general's report, totally redacted, 30 or more partially so, and we have this abc report, deaths of three detainees, near death of khalid shaikh mohammed, detainees who can't be found. translate that. does that mean we tortured people to death? >> essentially, yes. it's been known for some time that a number of cia detainees died in custody. they were not detainees in the high valued detention pro

mr. president, i see my colleague, senator leahy, is here. he has handled many of these cases over quite a few years. we didn't agree on a lot of the things that came up in the hearings but he committed to giving the opportunity to the minority party to have a full opportunity to ask questions and to raise issues and speak out. thank you for that. i think you did credit to the in our hearings. some critics have attacked president obama's nomination of judge sotomayor by contending the picture for the supreme court to substitute "empathy" for the rule of law. these kittic critics are wrong t the president, they are wrong about sonia sotomayor. let's leave off the rhetoric and go to the facts. when the president announced choice of judge sotomayor ten weeks ago he focused on the qualities he sought in a nominee. he started with rigorous intellect, mastery of the law. we should all agree with that. he then referred to recognition of the limits of the judicial role when he talked about an understanding that a judge's job was to interpret not make

mr. chairman, chairman leahy, for the manner in which he has conducted this hearing. i want to thank senator sessions for the fairness in which he worked with our chairman so that each one of us would have the opportunity to ask as many questions as we want to get all the information. i might point out i've been told by staff that there were 17 questions asked on a wise latina, so we not only compliment judge sotomayor for her patience and i want to compliment the chairman and ranking member for their patience in allowing each of us to pursue the information we thought that was relevant in evaluating judge sotomayor's qualifications to serve on the supreme court of the united states. i believe judge sotomayor's background and her professional accomplishments will add strength, balance and leadership to the supreme court. her personal story that we've heard about being part of an immigrant family from puerto rico, the fact that she received a scholarship to be able to attend college is an inspirational story about success in our country. we know of her professional bac

mr. president, i see my colleague, senator leahy, is here.e has handled many of these cases over quite a few years. we didn't agree on a lot of the things that came up in the hearings but he committed to giving the opportunity to the minority party to have a full opportunity to ask questions and to raise issues and speak out. thank you for that. i think you did credit to the in our hearings. some critics have attacked president obama's nomination of judge sotomayor by contending the picture for the supreme court to substitute "empathy" for the rule of law. these kittic critics are wrong t the president, they are wrong about sonia sotomayor. let's leave off the rhetoric and go to the facts. when the president announced choice of judge sotomayor ten weeks ago he focused on the qualities he sought in a nominee. he started with rigorous intellect, mastery of the law. we should all agree with that. he then referred to recognition of the limits of the judicial role when he talked about an understanding that a judge's job was to interpret not make l

mr. president, i ask consent that lori safdi, aaron gyle and kathleen roberts, law clerks on senator leahy's judiciary committee, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the debate on the nomination of sonia sotomayor. the presiding officer: without objection. for the red sox. rick, what have you seen from penny when you've watched him this season? >> well, he's a different guy. he's not the 97mph guy anymore. talking with john ferrell the pitching coach of the red sox, i said, what's the key for him tonight? what do you look for? he said, south, he's got to be down in the zone. we're going to use our k zone and highlight the 92, 93mph fastball. if it's above the kneecaps, he could be in a lot of trouble. if it's down, there he could be in there for six or s test anybody, but it's hard for us not to look towards this red sox-yankees series this weekend. how important is tonight's game for boston? >> you know, it's kind of interesting. i thought when i got in the club house, i was there for probably 45 minutes with the red sox. i thought i might hear something about that. you know, w

mr. president, i join my colleagues in congratulating senator leahy and senator sessions for their work on the sotomayor nomination. the process was fair to both sides and, most importantly, fair to the nominee. i am pleased today to rise in support of judge sotomayor, an individual whose life story is an inspiration to millions of americans. a child of immigrants with modest means, judge sotomayor has risen by didn't of exemplary academic accomplishment and hard work to the cusp of confirmation to our nation's highest court. but judge sotomayor is much more than just a story of accomplishment. she has shown herself to be a judge truly worthy of elevation to the supreme court. both on the bench and before this committee, judge sotomayor has proved that she has the necessary character, competence, and integrity to serve on the supreme court. her distinguished 17-year record on the bench demonstrates a commitment to fair and impartial application of the law and respect for the values which make up our constitution. at her hearing, judge sotomayor assured us that she will listen with an open

mr. president, i have the most heartfelt appreciation for the trust you have placed in me by nominating me. i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahyr conducting a respectful and timely hearing and to all members of the senate for approving the present's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country. i stand here today, knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court, would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago, in a constitution that contains fewer than five dozen words, our founders set forth their vision for this new land. their self-proclaimed task was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, and to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity. over the years, the ideals at the heart of that documents have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings, these rights and freedoms, to more and more americans. our constitution has survived domestic and international tunnel to including a civil war, two world wars, and

mr. wicker: i consider that statement to be a tribute to senators leahy, sessions, and the committee members and their staffs, and i commend them. article 2, section 2, of the constitution states "the president shall nominate by and with the advice and consent of the senate judges of the supreme court." the constitutional duty of advice and consent given to the senate is of profound importance, particularly when considering a lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court. in reviewing judge sotomayor's nomination, i have taken this obligation very seriously. following judge sotomayor's nomination by the president, i, like nearly all of my colleagues in this chamber, had a private, one-on-one meeting with her. we had a very cordial conversation, one in which i found judge sotomayor to be likeable and gracious. i appreciated learning more about her background. make no mistake, judge sotomayor has a great personal and professional story to tell. she's proud of it, and she certainly should be. but in the instance of a supreme court nominee, the constitutional duty of advice and consent, giv

mr. president, i join my colleagues in congratulating senator leahy and senator sessions for their work on sotomayor nomination. the process was fair to both sides and, most importantly, fair to the nominee. i am pleased today to rise in support of judge sotomayor, an individual whose life story is an inspiration to millions of americans. a child of immigrants with modest means, judge sotomayor has risen by didn't of exemplary academic accomplishment and hard work to the cusp of confirmation to our nation's highest court. but judge sotomayor is much more than just a story of accomplishment. she has shown herself to be a judge truly worthy of elevation to the supreme court. both on the bench and before this committee, judge sotomayor has proved that she has the necessary character, competence, and integrity to serve on the supreme court. her distinguished 17-year record on the bench demonstrates a commitment to fair and impartial application of the law and respect for the values which make up our constitution. at her hearing, judge sotomayor assured us that she will listen with an open mind

mr. president, i have most heartfelt appreciation for the trust that you've placed in me by nominating me. and i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee who led by chairperson leahy conducting a respectful and timely hearing. and to all members of the senate for approving the president's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country. i stand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunity s presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago in a constitution that contained fewer than 5,000 words, our founders set forth their vision for this new land. their self-proclaimed task was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice and to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their postearty. they have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings. these rights and freedoms to more and more americans. our constitution has survived domestic and international tumbles, including a civil war, two world wars and the catastrophe of september 11th. it draws together people of

mr. fres president, i have the most heartfelt appreciation for the trust that you placed in me by nominating me. and i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahy, and to all members of the senate who approving the president's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country. i stand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago, in a constitution that contained fewer than 5,000 words, our founders set forth their vision for this new land. their self-proclaimed tasks was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice and to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their pos perity. over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings, these rights and freedoms to more and more americans. our constitution has survived domestic and international tumult, including a civil war, two world wars, and the catastrophe of september 11th. it draws togeth

mr. president. i'm delighted to be here to join the senior senator from minnesota, senator klobuchar, and to speak also after the senior senator from vermont, my neighbor, senator leahy of sonia sotomayor. this week we have the opportunity to make history. to make history by confirming the first hispanic and only the third woman to the united states supreme court, and senator klobuchar spoke eloquently about the challenges women have faced and i'm pleased to say i have the honor as governor of appointing the first woman to the new hampshire supreme court. and i come today to the floor to speak in support of sonia sotomayor's nomination. however not because of the historic nature of the nomination but because she is more than qualified to sit on the supreme court, and i am somewhat perplexed by white vote on her nomination will not be unanimous. judge sotomayor is immensely qualified. the nonpartisan american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary which has evaluated the professional qualifications of nominees to the federal bench since 1948 unanimously, unanimously rated sotomayor as well qualified to be a supreme court justice after carefully co

mr. president, i had the most heartfelt appreciation for the trust you have placed in me by nominating me. i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahyor conducting a respectful and timely hearing, and to all members of the senate for approving the president's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country. i stand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago in a constitution that contained fewer than 5000 words, our founders set forth their vision for this new land. their task was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice and security blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity. over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those freedoms to more americans. our constitution has survived domestic and international problems, including a civil war, at two world wars and the catastrophe of 9/11. it draws together people of all races,

mr. president, i had the most heartfelt appreciation for the trust you have placed in me by nominating me. i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahy for conducting a respectful and timely hearing, and to all members of the senate for approving the president's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country. i stand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago in a constitution that contained fewer than 5000 words, our fires set forth their vision for this new land. -- our founders set forth their vision. their task was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice and security blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity. over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document had indoor -- have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those freedoms to more americans. our constitution has survived domestic and international problems, including a civil war, at two world wars and the catast

mr. reid: i appreciate the statement of my friend. everything relating to this nomination has been very sirvelg fair. senator -- has been very civil, nature. senator leahysenator sessions have done an outstanding job of the how the debate should be here on the floor. there are strong feelings regarding this nomination. that's the way it should be. i was told last night that there's as many as 28 republicans who wish to speak on this matter. a lot of democrats will also want to speak. i want to lay out, as my friend, the republican leader, did -- we're imping to bee working into the evenings. people shouldn't wait around here until tomorrow saying i'll put it off until tomorrow, or maybe i'll thursday. there ma may not be a thursday. we need to get these speeches done. they're important for the record that this body makes. i would hope that people would work with the floor staff, set up a way to proceed. what we're going to do is if at all possible, have a democrat speak, a republican speak, go back and forth. if there is not one or the other party here, we're not going to wait around until that republican or democrat shows up f there's someone here tree