Sotomayor hearings lineup

Five judiciary committee senators to watch

Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)

All eyes will be on the Republican point man and new ranking member. A dyed-in-the-wool Southerner and conservative, he represents the sort of regionalism that has come to define his struggling party.

John Cornyn (R-Texas)

One might expect Cornyn, a former state attorney general, to take the lead in attacking Sotomayor. But Texas has a large Latino population, a group the GOP is trying to woo. He may have to step softly.

Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.)

Can the committee chairman meet the White House's timetable and make sure the nomination reaches the Senate floor for a vote before the August recess -- or will he allow Republicans to stall?

Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)

The five-term senator is passionate about judicial nominations. Always independent and idiosyncratic, will the newly minted Democrat balk at voting lock-step with his party?

Al Franken (D-Minn.)

The Senate's newest member will have a chance to exhibit his new button-downed persona, although he will be the last Democrat to ask questions.

The likely lines of attack

The 'wise Latina'

Supporters say Sotomayor was just advocating diversity in a 2002 speech, but critics say she suggested a Latina with life experience would make a better judge than a white male.

'Empathy'

Republicans fear Sotomayor views the law as a means to aid historically disadvantaged groups. Supporters say her record shows restraint in that she prefers narrow rulings that apply existing law.

The Ricci case

Sotomayor was part of a three-judge panel that ruled against white firefighters in who claimed a city discriminated against them by promoting African Americans with lower test scores. The Supreme Court later sided with the firefighters.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund

Sotomayor was on the board of this advocacy group. Critics say she took an active role in its pro-abortion-rights, pro-affirmative-action and anti-death-penalty stances.

Foreign law

Conservatives take a dim view of judges who look to the law of other nations for guidance on novel legal questions. They worry that Sotomayor is a favorably disposed to that end.

Witnesses of note

About 30 witnesses are expected to testify at the hearing. Among them:

Michael R. Bloomberg

Mayor of New York City, where Sotomayor grew up in a Bronx housing project.

David Cone

The former major league pitcher was a union representative during a baseball strike that Sotomayor helped settle.

Frank Ricci

The white firefighter plaintiff in the Ricci vs. New Haven discrimination case.

Sandy Froman

Ex-president of the National Rifle Assn., which has "serious concerns" about the judge's view of the 2nd Amendment.

Louis J. Freeh

The former director of the FBI was a New York federal judge at the same time as Sotomayor.

Source: Times reporting