• "The Senate debate over Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor turned bitter Wednesday, after Democrats warned the GOP it would pay a steep price for opposing the judge who would be the first Hispanic justice, and a top Republican charged they were playing destructive racial politics," AP reports.

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., "has become intensely critical of Republican opposition to" Sotomayor, Politico reports.

• "Reid is sick and tired of hearing about Sonia Sotomayor's 'wise Latina woman' remark and her ruling in Ricci v. DeStefano," NationalJournal.com reports. "'How many times do we have to listen to the same speeches on the same brief statements and on the same case?' Reid asked during a press conference" Wednesday.

• "Rounding out next week's agenda will be" Sotomayor's "nomination, which is expected to clear but could take two or more days of floor time," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., drew praise from across the country Wednesday for his speech explaining his Senate Judiciary Committee vote for" Sotomayor, McClatchy Newspapers reports.

• Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., "said late Wednesday he has decided not to support the confirmation of" Sotomayor, the Chattanoogan reports.

• Keep tabs on which senators have committed to yes or no votes with NationalJournal.com's Vote Tracker.

Commentary

• The Las Vegas Review-Journal asserts that the Senate Judiciary Committee's GOP members "did the right thing" in voting against Sotomayor, despite threats from Democrats that a "no" vote would hurt them with Hispanics.

• In the San Francisco Examiner, Tim Phillips and Phil Kerpen of the conservative Americans for Prosperity argue that "Sotomayor's utter -- indeed, intentional -- unpredictability" on the bench "is likely to undermine business confidence."

• "Absent a miracle," Sotomayor "will take a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court," writes Doug Bandow, former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, in the American Spectator. "Nevertheless, the Republican minority still has an opportunity to use her nomination to educate the American people about the dangers of politicizing the judiciary."

• After conducting interviews with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Graham, David S. Broder predicts that "we might avert the ugly partisanship of recent confirmation fights."

• Stuart Taylor Jr. notes that the Sotomayor nomination has sparked a debate among conservatives about judicial philosophy.