US senate approves Sotomayor to Supreme Court
Published:Tuesday | July 28, 2009 | 1:12 PM
A key Senate panel has voted in favour of Sonia Sotomayor\'s nomination to the US Supreme Court.
The majority-Democrat Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 to back Ms Sotomayor.
Her nomination will now go to the full Senate, where she is expected to be confirmed as the court\'s first Hispanic justice next week.
Her nomination has been vocally opposed by a chorus of Republicans who believe she’s too liberal.
However BBC reports say Ms Sotomayor is unlikely to alter the ideological balance on the court, as she would replace retiring Justice David Souter, a liberal.
The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the US Constitution, and its nine members are given lifetime appointments, though they can voluntarily resign or retire.
It is called upon to rule on issues that spark some of the greatest controversy in US society such as abortion, gun rights and national security issues.