Today the questions begin. Questions will address Sotomayor's judicial philosophy. Previously Sotomayor said that appellate courts are "where policy is made." During a recent conversation with a Senator, she said, "My experiences will affect the facts I choose to see as a judge." She also said, "Impartiality is just an aspiration." In contrast, some of the Justices currently serving on the Court said the following during their confirmation hearings. Justice Scalia said: "Policy views will not inform my decisions from the Supreme Court." Justice Thomas said: "A judge must not bring to his job, to the Court, the baggage of preconceived notions, of ideology, and certainly not an agenda." Justice Alito said: "It’s my job to apply the law. It’s not my job to change the law or to bend the law to achieve any result."

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "When someone is nominated for essentially lifetime tenure to the highest Court in the land, the American people expect those charged with the confirmation process to ask the hard questions. Loyalty to the Constitution must take precedence over loyalty to a political party. The rule of law is at stake - the balance of power established by our Founders rides on every vote cast by a Justice of the Supreme Court. There is no ‘empathy’ or subjective standard of interpretation. There is only one standard, and that is the rule of law."