Thursday, July 16, 2009 2:30 PM
Judiciary Committee Vote Could Be Delayed
UPDATE: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he expected Republicans will force a week delay on the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation vote, pushing it back to July 28. Hatch said voting this Tuesday would not give senators time to submit written questions.
Hatch, who has never voted against a Supreme Court nominee, said he was considering opposing Sotomayor. "I'm troubled," said Hatch, a former Judiciary chairman.
Updated at 3:00 p.m. on July 16.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has scheduled a committee vote on Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation for Tuesday, he said during a recess of today's hearings.
According to committee rules, Republicans can move to delay the vote a week, which means the latest a committee vote could occur is July 28. Ranking member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., was noncommittal on the date, but didn't explicitly say what Republicans were planning to do. He did make clear earlier today, though, that he wants a full Senate vote before Congress leaves for recess Aug. 7.


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