Perry Mason stumps Supreme Court nominee

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Call it The Case of the Forgetful Supreme Court Nominee.

Sonia Sotomayor, under questioning by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, had to admit she could not recall a key point of law: what was the one case that TV defense lawyer Perry Mason actually lost?

"I wish I could remember the name of the episode but I don't," Sotomayor said after Democratic Senator Al Franken -- himself a former TV star -- pressed her on Perry Mason trivia.

"I just was always struck that there was one case where his client was actually guilty. I know that I should remember the name of it but I haven't looked at the episode."

The twist is that Franken, and later the White House, may not have had all the facts about the series starring Raymond Burr that ran from 1957 to 1966.

"The truth is, Perry Mason didn't win every case. In fact, at least three decisions went against him," the fan website www.perrymasontvshowbook.com says.

It lists losses in the "The Case of the Witless Witness," "The Case of the Terrified Typist" and "The Case of the Deadly Verdict" but notes that Perry Mason triumphs before the final credits. Other websites list only the last two as losses.

Sotomayor had said the series was influential in her legal career and that she admired the character of prosecutor Hamilton Burger who faced Mason repeatedly in court but won only one case.

Nominated to be a lifetime member of the nine-justice Supreme Court by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, Sotomayor has been grilled by senators, most heavily by Republicans, at her confirmation hearing this week.

Franken, wrapping up wide-ranging questions on Sotomayor's position on legal issues, lightened the mood by returning to Perry Mason and the mystery episode.

"Didn't the White House prepare you for that?" he asked with mock gravitas.

Sotomayor again demurred and Franken admitted he did not know the answer either. The White House later said the loss was in the 1963 episode "The Case of the Deadly Verdict".

"We will not hold your inability to answer against you," the committee's Democratic chairman Senator Patrick Leahy said before moving on to other business.

(Editing by John O'Callaghan)