we will now hear from market-- robert morgenthau. mr. morgenthau has been the district attorney of new york county since 1975 and is the longest serving incumbent of that position during his nine terms in office. this that has conducted 3.5 million criminal prosecutions and homicides in manhattan and has been-- and hess rated in 90% success, morgenthau sir the borgen naval the stories gruwell 42. in is a real pleasure to have you. >> thank you mr. chairman. i appreciate the opportunity of testifying today and i'm pleased to join those who endorse the nomination of judge sotomayor, to the united states supreme court. i first came to know judge sotomayor while i was on a recruiting trip with the yale law school. it that time grannis was the general counsel. i asked to speak with them and

one of those scheduled to testify at that hearing is new york district attorney robert morgenthau. he hired judge sotomayor are as a prosecutor for the district attorney's office. >> district attorney robert morgenthau, the first time you met sonia sotomayor or, do you remember? >> i do. >> were was it? >> at the indiana law school. it was 1978 or early 1979. cracks were redoing there? >> recruiting. >> recruiting for -- >> the district attorney's office. i was in the hall and i met a professor at the yale law school and asked him if he had any good candidates for me. he thought a moment and said yes, i think i have one. i don't think she ever thought of being an assistant district attorney, but she would be good, and it would be good for her and good for you. he said her name is sonia sotomayor. i said if she was interested, have her call me. >> the interview her in this room? the remember? >> yes, i did. i interviewed everybody in this room. i interview everybody before they are hired. she had an incredible academic record. she had come from a parochial high school and on to prin

your old boss robert morgenthau called up phyllis prosecutor. this is how he put it wants an interview. -- the call to a fearless prosecutor. he said a lot of the job is making decisions. he also said he wanted to see signs of humility. we are giving young lawyers a lot of power and we want to be sure they will use that power with good sense and without arrogance. these are among the very qualities i am looking for are any supreme court justice. i'm also looking forward to a person with adjustmengood judgmf also understands that her judicial decisions affect real people. with that comes the second quality, a humility. i'm looking for justice who appreciates the awesome responsibility. a justice who understands the gravity of the office and respects the very different roles that the constitution provides for each of the three branches of government. finally, a good prosecutor knows that her job is to enforce the law without fear or favor. a supreme court justice must interpret the law without fear or favor. i believe your background and experienc

up next, robert morgenthau on her time working as a prosecutor in the new york district attorney's office. >> the first time you met her -- do you remember? >> i do. it was at yale law school, 1970 it was. i was recruiting for the district attorney's office at the time. kopp -- i said jose, do you have any good candidates? i said i never thought of being in existence attorney, but they said it would be good for you. when i said what is her name, he said sonia sotomayor. i said she is interested, have her call me. >> did you interview her in this room? do you remember? >> yes, i did. i interview everybody in this room. no, i interview everybody. >> what struck you about her? >> number one, she had an incredible economic rigid academic record. she had come from a parochial high school, and on to princeton. she told me she had trouble with the language her first year, but then a professor took an interest in her and she spent the summer with him and his family and wrote an essay everyday. she ended up graduating summa cum laude and went on to law school, to be editor of blog journal -- the l

. >> reporter: manhattan district attorney robert morgenthau hired sotomayor upon her graduation fromale law school. he was asked by illinois democrat dick durbin about his decision to hire her, and sotomayor's now famous "wise latina" remarks. >> mr. morgenthau, when you were alerted about her skills in law school, did they tell you that they had an opportunity here for you to hire a wise latina lawyer? is that what you were in the market for? >> absolutely not. i mean, i took one look at her resume-- summa cum laude at princeton, "yale law journal", and i said... and then i talked to her, and i thought she was commonsense and judgment and willingness to work. the fact that she was latino or latina had absolutely nothing to do with it. >> reporter: with sotomayor's testimony now finished, a senate vote on her nomination could very well come before members leave for the congressional recess on august 7. >> lehrer: judy woodruff, who anchored our live coverage of the hearing, takes the story from there. >> woodruff: to assess judge sotomayor's four days of testimony and her prospects f

. >> district attorney, robert morgenthau, the first time you met her. do you remember? >> i do. >> i was recruiting. >> recruiting 42? >> the district attorney's office. -- recruiting for who? i asked if we had any good candidates. he said i think we have one but i do not think she ever thought of being assistant district attorney. she would be good for you. i said what is her name and he said sonia sotomayor. i said if she is interested, have her call me. >> day to interview her in this room? day remember? >> yes, i did. -- did you to review her in this room? -- do you remember? >> yes, i did. she had an incredible academic record. she had gone to princeton. she told me she had trouble with the language her first year but that her professor had taken an interest in her and she had spoken with his family and wrecked an essay every day. she ended up graduating summa cum laude. i was impressed by her. i was impressed by her common sense. i am always looking for people that i think can relate to victims. i was not wrong. >> that relation to victims and witnesses, what does

who hired her as a prosecutor in the das office. >> district attorney robert morgenthau, your firsttime you met sonia sotomayor, do you remember? >> ideal. >> where was it? >> up at the analog school of. >> when was that? >> 1978. or early 1979. >> what we doing there? >> recruiting. >> recruiting for? >> the district attorney's office. and i was in the hall and i met jose serrano's who was a professor and council of the university. and i san jose, do you have any good candidates for me. and he thought a moment and he said yeah, i think i have one. i don't think she ever thought about being a assistant district attorney but she would be good and good for her and be good for you. and i said what's her name. she said sonia sotomayor. and i said as she is interested ever call me. and that's how i met her. >> did you interview for in this room? do you remember? >> yes, i did. i interviewed everybody in this room. i interviewed everybody before they are hired. >> what struck you about her? >> well, i mean number one, she had an incredible academic record. she had come from a parochial hi

your former boss, robert morgenthau of, dean of the american prosecutors. he was a burglar.e terrorize people in harlem, robbing, stealing, and actually kill three people. your co-counsel described every aspect of the prosecution and helped to secure a conviction, sentenced to life for the murders. your co-counsel described you as not only pursuing justice but going to the recalls -- root cause of crime and how to curb it. does that experience ship your views in any way, both as a judge -- this is getting as nitty gritty as you can. >> i became a lawyer in the prosecutor's office. to this day, i know who i am become. he gave me a trial. and then they asked you to opine about the theory and applied legal theory. in a prosecutor's office, you understand that the law is not theory. it is fact. is what witnesses say and do not said. it is taking those arguments based on low wall as it exists. it is what i take with me as a trial judge and an appellate judge. u.s.-mexican question about the tarzan murder case, and that brought to light for me in a new way the tragic consequences

you're former boss, robert morgenthau, the dean of the american prosecutors, said one of the most importantcases you worked on this prosecution of the man known as the tarzan burglar. he terrorist people in harlem and with swing ropes on to their apartments and rob them and actually killed three people. you're co-counsel describe how you through yourself into that elite aspect of the prosecution of the case. you helped secure a conviction, sentenced 62 years to life for the murders. your counsel described you, quote come as a skilled legal practitioner who not only ruthlessly pursued justice but victims of violent crimes, but as to the root cause of crimes, and how to perfect. -- curve it. did that experience shake your view in any way both as a lawyer but also both as a judge? i mean, this was getting into and out as need eager ds you could into the whole area of criminal law. >> i became a lawyer in the prosecutor's office. to this day, i owe who i became as a lawyer and law had become as a judge to mr. morgenthau. he gave me a privilege and honor in working in his office that has shaped

as the district attorney and one of the repronounce district attorneys in a darkened that is robert morgenthau. this is a person with extraordinary qualifications almost unmatched by any current sitting justice. lastly you are looking at an individual whose personal story embodies the american dream. this is a woman from humble beginnings, good demonstrated that with hard work you can achieve and can be recognized. academic performance at princeton and yale law school speaks volumes about what she was able to do. her public service center commitment to the rule of law i think has been demonstrated so well during the last two days that i am proud we support your. one last point, what you are seeing over the past two days, both with the statements of the senate, members of the committee but also yesterday with her response to questions, is an individual with a superb command of what it means to be a lawyer and a judge. someone who understands the importance of the constitution, someone who has a temperament that is extremely well-suited for the job ahead. and someone who brings a level of qualit