So far, the opening statements of Democrats and Republicans have done a good job of framing the competing positions on the Sotomayor nomination. Eleven senators—Democrats Leahy, Kohl, Feinstein, Feingold, Schumer, and Cardin and Republicans Sessions, Hatch, Grassley, Kyl, and Graham—have given their opening statements. I won’t try to summarize those statements, but I’m encouraged by the fact that the Republican statements have generally been quite strong, especially in criticizing President Obama’s “empathy” standard and highlighting concerns over Sotomayor’s impartiality.
Update: The Washington Post is posting transcripts of the senators’ opening statements. Those available as I write this (1:30 pm) include those of Senator Sessions and Senator Hatch.