Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley takes exception to the wording in an Associated Press report this morning. It says Senate Republicans plan to “block” today’s scheduled committee vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. Grassley insists it’s a “routine” move that will delay the vote on President Obama’s pick for a week.
“Any one member, Republican or Democrat, has a right to hold it over just for one week,” Grassley says. “What that member is doing is not blocking, as you use the word, we’re exercising a right that almost every member uses.”
Sotomayor is expected to win confirmation to the nation’s high court as its first Hispanic justice since she has a solid backing from the majority party, the Democrats.
Grassley, a Republican, admits the week-long vote delay is likely moot. Grassley says, “It is probably postponing the inevitable but there’s members who want to make sure that they’ve had plenty of time to review the record.”
When pressed, Grassley admitted he is among those who hasn’t made up his mind about how he’ll vote on the Sotomayor confirmation. Grassley says, “Well, if I had to vote today, I suppose I could make up my mind but I expect the routine to happen so, what’s the hurry?”
Some Republicans were ruffled during last week’s hearings by comments Sotomayor has made in the past about race, including when she said that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”