Sen. Klobuchar impressed by Sotomayor
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Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is praising president Barack Obama's nomination of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Sotomayor is a former prosecutor, like Klobuchar. She has served on the federal bench for 17 years.
But Klobuchar is waiting to meet Sotomayor and review her judicial record before committing to voting for her.
Sotomayor was first nominated to be a federal judge by a Republican -- President George H. W. Bush, and sent to the federal appeals court by a Democrat, President Bill Clinton.
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Klobuchar said she hopes her bipartisan resume will speed the review of Sotomayor's nomination in the Senate.
"There is so much facing this country right now with the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that I think it's important that we give this thorough and careful consideration, but we don't turn this into a six-month circus," Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will play a key role in vetting the new nominee. Klobuchar said she hopes the full Senate will consider Sotomayor's confirmation by August.
Both men vying for Minnesota's other Senate seat released statements on Sotomayor's nomination.
Democrat Al Franken congratulated Sotomayor for her history-making nomination as the first Latino chosen for the court. Franken said he looks forward to joining his colleagues as they examine Sotomayor's qualifications before confirmation.
Franken's Republican rival, Norm Coleman, also released a statement saying he looks forward to review Sotomayor's record when he's re-elected. Coleman says he would evaluate any nominee based on their record and their willingness to follow the Constitution rather than create new law and policy.
Coleman is appealing a three-judge panel's ruling that Franken won the Senate race. The Minnesota Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Coleman's appeal Monday.
