Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, weighed in on the 1998 nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the 2nd Circuit, according to a clip provided by C-SPAN.

Leahy: "Judge Sonia Sotomayor is just such a qualified nominee, and she is one being held up by the Republican majority, apparently because some on the other side of the aisle believe she might one day be considered by President Clinton for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, should a vacancy arise."

Nate Silver has a breakdown of how the vote went and notices that current senators approved by a margin of 35 to 11.