Live video: Sotomayor hearing day 2

The following live video is from MSNBC.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor gave a spirited defense of her track record and judicial views as the second day of her confirmation hearing began Tuesday.

As AP reports, the 55-year-old appeals court judge tackled head-on accusations that she has allowed her Latino ethnicity to color her rulings as a judge.

“I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences,” AP quoted Sotomayor as saying.

Sotomayor also defended her decision in the now-famous case of Ricci v. Stefano, in which 19 Connecticut firefighters — eighteen white, one Hispanic — sued the New Haven Fire Department for throwing out exams used to determine promotions when not enough visible minorities scored well on the test.

Sotomayor’s ruling — in favor of the fire department — was overturned by the Supreme Court two weeks ago.

Sotomayor said that her ruling in the case was “based strictly on well-established legal precedent,” CNN reports. She also said that, if ruling on a case like this today, she would be bound by the new precedent the Supreme Court set.

This video is from The Washington Post, broadcast July 14, 2009.

Download video via RawReplay.com

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