The Senate Judiciary Committee that heard testimony from Barack Obama's nominee to replace retired Justice David Souter on the US Supreme Court, federal District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, gave it's approval of the new president's selection by a 13-6 margin.  With five Republicans having pledged support and a so-far unanimous backing from all 60 Democrats, Sotomayor now heads for an open floor vote.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina represented the sole vote in support from the opposition.  Graham announced last week that while she wouldn't have been his choice, he planned on supporting what he called an "extremely qualified" nominee with an incredible personal background.  Republican Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Cornyn of Texas, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Charles Grassley of Iowa, Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions of Alabama all voted no.

All 12 Democrats- Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Dianne Feinstein of California, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Chuck Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota,  Ted Kaufman of Delaware, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Al Franken of Minnesota- supported Sotomayor.

The New York-born Sotomayor- who would be the first Hispanic American to be serve on the Supreme Court- now heads for an open floor vote.  Already, 5 Republicans (including Graham) have committed to supporting her, while 17 Republicans have pledged to oppose her confirmation.