Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), "seeking to discredit Judge Sonia Sotomayor's judicial philosophy, cited her 2001 'wise Latina' speech, and contrasted the view that ethnicity and sex influence judging with that of Judge Miriam Cedarbaum, who 'believes that judges must transcend their personal sympathies and prejudices,'" the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Sessions: "So I would just say to you, I believe in Judge Cedarbaum's formulation."
Responded Sotomayor: "My friend Judge Cedarbaum is here. We are good friends, and I believe that we both approach judging in the same way, which is looking at the facts of each individual case and applying the law to those facts."