Sotomayor Hearing Winding Down

It's so hard to say goodbye. Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme-Court confirmation hearing is likely to wind to a close Thursday, as Republicans attack her membership in Hispanic advocacy groups and her "wise Latina" remarks one last time. The hearing has followed the same pattern as other recent ones in which the Supreme Court nominee plays it safe and dances around major issues like gun rights and abortion. Sotomayor appeared to irk both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as she responded with "long, legally detailed and often evasive replies." Linday Graham once again acknowledged the likelihood of Sotomayor's confirmation Thursday morning, saying her future appears "pretty bright." Nevertheless, the GOP will call Frank Ricci, the defendant in Sotomayor's controversial firefighter case to the stand to highlight its criticism that she is an "activist judge."