In a letter sent today to White House Counsel Greg Craig, the American Bar Association announced its unanimous rating of Sonia Sotomayor as "highly qualified," the highest level of qualification the organization gives out.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement that this rating "should eliminate the doubts of naysayers who have questioned Judge Sotomayor's disposition on the bench."

Throughout the process of evaluation, which began shortly after Sotomayor's nomination at the end of May, a team of law professors, lawyers, Supreme Court law clerks and other experts familiar with the high court examined Sotomayor's legal writings. The evaluation doesn't take into account a nominee's philosophy or ideology and has three tiers: not qualified, qualified and highly qualified.

A rating of "well qualified" is the norm among Supreme Court nominees. The last four -- John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- all received this rating by a unanimous vote as well.

Last week, the New York Bar Association also rated Sotomayor highly qualified.