Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond of Missouri today became the seventh Republican to announce he will vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor.

Deploring the partisanship that has engulfed recent Supreme Court nominations, Bond noted he has voted to confirm both conservative and liberal nominees. "I hope those votes do not reflect a time that has slipped away, when partisanship did not infect every facet of our political life," he said in a floor speech. While disagreeing with several of Sotomayor's decisions, especially those involving New Haven, Conn., firefighters and gun rights, "I do agree that Judge Sotomayor has proven herself a well-qualified jurist." Bond said if he and Republicans want more conservative jurists "the best way to ensure that we have conservative judges on the bench is to work to see that we elect presidents who will nominate them."