Sotomayor vote likely before month's end

WASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee likely will vote on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court before the end of July, legislative aides said.

Sotomayor wrapped up four days of testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday, expressing regret for her remark that a "wise Latina" judge could decide a case better than a white man. She withstood a barrage of questions by Republicans on her judicial rulings, particularly about her role on a three-judge panel that ruled against white and Hispanic New Haven, Conn., firefighters after the city threw out civil service exam results because not enough members of minorities scored high enough marks for promotion.

Senior Republican staff aides told The New York Times they thought at least one -- and as many as three -- of the committee's seven Republicans may vote to approve Sotomayor's nomination and send it to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm her in the first week in August. If confirmed, she would be the first Latina and third woman on the nation's highest court.

Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., scheduled a vote for Tuesday, but committee Republicans indicated they would ask the vote be delayed until July 28.

The aides said they expected Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would vote to approve the nomination. They said Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Charles Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas or Tom Coburn of Oklahoma could join Graham.

After Sotomayor vacated the witness chair, the committee heard statements from supporters and opponents to her nomination. Among those submitting statements against her nomination were two of firefighters who lost the case before Sotomayor, but won last month when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision .