Sotomayor gains one GOP vote; loses one

WASHINGTON -- A key conservative Republican announced his support Wednesday for Judge Sonia Sotomayor while another said he'd vote against President Obama's Supreme Court pick.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Sotomayor "is definitely more liberal" than any Supreme Court nominee a Republican president would have chosen. However, he said, Sotomayor is "one of the most qualified" high court choices in decades.

"I do believe that elections have consequences, and it's not like we hid from the American people during the campaign that the Supreme Court nomination was at stake," Graham said. "The American people spoke."

Graham said he understands the concerns from fellow conservatives such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona about Sotomayor's speeches in which the judge appeared to suggest that gender and ethnicity might affect rulings. But Graham said he endorsed the argument she made before the committee — that her actions count for more than her words.

"When you look at her 17-year record, you find someone who has not carried out that speech," Graham said. Kyl, the Senate's deputy Republican leader, remains unconvinced and will not support her confirmation.

"Her attempt to recharacterize these speeches at the committee hearing strained credulity," Kyl said in a statement. "Unfortunately, I have not been persuaded that Judge Sotomayor is absolutely committed to setting aside her biases and impartially deciding cases based upon the rule of law. And I cannot ignore her unwillingness to answer senators' questions straightforwardly."

Graham and Kyl grilled her extensively during hearings of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which votes next week on Sotomayor's nomination.

Obama picked Sotomayor, a federal judge in New York since 1992, to replace retiring Justice David Souter. If confirmed, she would be the third woman to serve on the high court and the first Hispanic.

Graham also said Sotomayor's life story — from a Bronx public housing project to degrees from Princeton and Yale — "is something every American should be proud of." He said it would be "a good thing" if her elevation to the Supreme Court inspired young women, especially Latinas, to pursue legal careers.