Most Americans disagree with Sonia Sotomayor's decision in the New Haven, Conn., firefighters case, but most also say her ruling doesn't make them more or less likely to support her nomination to the Supreme Court, a new poll finds.

The Quinnipiac University poll, released this morning, shows that 59 percent of respondents said Sotomayor's vote in Ricci v. DeStefano doesn't make a difference to them, while 28 percent say it makes them less likely to support her nomination and 7 percent say it makes them more likely. Republicans don't show overwhelming opposition based on this one case: 48 percent said it would make them less likely to support her, while 43 percent said it wouldn't make a difference.

At the same time, just over 70 percent of respondents -- including 59 percent of Democrats -- said the Supreme Court should order New Haven to promote the firefighters who scored high enough for promotion.

In Ricci, Sotomayor was part of a 2nd Circuit Court panel that supported the city's decision to discard the results of a firefighter promotion exam because no black applicants qualified for promotion. The suit was brought by several white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter who claimed discrimination.

Looking at affirmative action more generally, 55 percent of respondents said preferences in hiring, promotions and college admissions should be abolished. When that question is broken down by political party and gender, Democrats are the only group with a majority supporting affirmative action (57 percent support, while 33 percent oppose).

The poll also asked respondents if they supported or opposed affirmative action with regard to specific groups: Hispanics, blacks, white women, people with disabilities, and gays and lesbians. Only the disabled registered support among more than one political group. Critics of the New Haven decision often point out that Frank Ricci, one of the firefighters who brought the claim, has dyslexia and had to put in extra effort in order to pass the exam.

The poll was conducted May 26 to June 1 and surveyed 3,097 registered voters around the country.