US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor should be approved before the Senate takes a month-long summer break on August 10, Republicans conceded Thursday as she ended a gruelling three days of questioning from senators, reported the dpa. "I look forward to you getting that vote before we recess in August," said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate's Judiciary Committee. US President Barack Obama's choice of Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic justice, has sharply divided conservatives and left- leaning politicians, and prompted questions over the role of race in US society. But politicians on both sides praised Sotomayor's handling of the confirmation hearings this week, though she avoided taking stands on controversial political topics including abortion, gun control and affirmative action. "I think through these proceedings, the American people have gotten to know you," said Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "You've done a good job. You've had a good humour. You've been direct in your answers, and we appreciate that," Sessions said. With Democrats controlling 60 seats in the 100-member Senate, there has been little doubt that Sotomayor will be approved for a life-time appointment to the nine-member Supreme Court. But many conservatives have said they will oppose her nomination over criticism that she lacks impartiality and will favour minorities. Sotomayor, 55, is the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants and grew up in a poor borough of New York City. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has said he may vote for her, said she had been "generally in the mainstream" during 17 years as a federal judge, but some of her past speeches "just bugged the hell out of me."
