Sonia Sotomayor explains her "wise Latina" remark

By Manu Raju

POLITICO (Washington) -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor attempted to clarify her controversial remark Tuesday that a "wise Latina woman" could reach a "better" decision than a white male, telling Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy that "ultimately" and "completely" a judge should follow the law.

Leahy, who met privately with Sotomayor on Tuesday, said he usually doesn't discuss what was said in private meetings with Supreme Court nominees.

But given the attacks that have been launched because of her remarks, Sotomayor gave Leahy clearance to give her response to the public.

Sotomayor told Leahy that what she meant is that people have different backgrounds but "there is only one law," and "ultimately and completely" she would follow the law.

Leahy didn't clarify whether Sotomayor acknowledged misspeaking, as even President Barack Obama has. Leahy said Sotomayor talked about her judicial philosophy, which can be guided by experiences but at the end of the day it comes down to rule of law.

The comments were the first response indirectly from Sotomayor since conservatives began attacking her as an activist judge — with some questioning whether she is racially biased. The Leahy meeting came on a whirlwind day for Sotomayor on Capitol Hill, where she's meeting with several top senators in private meetings followed by photo ops.

Sotomayor did not talk about the "wise Latina" remark in a later meeting with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

"We talked about the idea of personal feelings to some degree, how it would influence the decisions, how it would not," Sessions said.

Echoing remarks she made to Leahy, Sotomayor also told Sessions that a judge would "ultimately and completely" follow the law. Sessions said their conversations weren't detailed enough to assuage any concerns about whether she's an "activist" judge.

Sessions committed to her that she would have fair hearings, and said he was "very impressed" with her knowledge, experience and energy level, though he still would rather wait until September for hearings.

Leahy is also pushing for an accelerated hearing schedule, adding that because of the attacks on Sotomayor, it would be "irresponsible" of him to wait until September for her confirmation hearings. He said hearings won't happen in June, meaning that July hearings are likely given that Congress is on recess for much of August.

Sotomayor kicked off her day with a 30-minute meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), followed by meetings with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the committee's ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and lunch with New York Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

In a brief statement, Reid praised Sotomayor, according to a pool report.

"Everyone in America, I want them to understand that we have the whole package here," Reid said, listing Sotomayor's academic and professional background. "If that wasn't enough, her background is very significant — we could not have anyone better qualified," Reid said.

Reid said that Sotomayor had a "compelling story" and said: "I think your story is so compelling. Americans identify with the underdog, and you've been the underdog so many times in your life."