A day after she broke her ankle on the way to Washington, D.C. for meetings with Senators, Judge Sonia Sotomayor now has a firm date for her confirmation hearings: July 13. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy made the announcement, acknowledging that it should provide enough time, barring any "unnecessary delays," for a vote before the Senate goes on August recess.
But, Senate Republicans are already criticizing the timeline. The office of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put out a fact sheet describing the schedule as a "double standard" compared to the review of Chief Justice John Roberts' record. At the time President George W. Bush nominated Roberts, the committee reviewed nearly 330 cases decided by Roberts on the D.C. Court of Appeals. Much has been made of Judge Sotomayor's judicial experience. When formally nominating her on May 26, President Obama said, "[Sotomayor] would bring more experience on the bench ... than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed." Mathematically speaking, that translates into a lot more cases. Republicans say she has decided more than 3,600 cases as a judge, which gives them 48 days to review her official decisions - at a rate of 76 cases a day.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded with a letter, pushing for her speedy confirmation so she can have adequate time to prepare for the Supreme Court docket and hire law clerks. He went on to say "I appreciate that Senate Republicans are committed to a fair and respectful confirmation process for Judge Sotomayor. I believe it is important that Senators be permitted the opportunity to thoroughly review Judge Sotomayor's record and to fulfill our constitutional duty to provide advice and consent. I believe our proposed schedule for hearings and a floor vote on her confirmation will do so."