Hatch: Sotomayor confirmation is ‘battle over control of the country’

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) framed the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor in dire terms this morning, saying the hearings amounted to a “battle over control of the country.”

He tweeted Tuesday:

Listening to both sides during Day 1 of the Sotomayor hearing proved 1 thing-the battle over judges is not merely a philosophical battle…

…it is a battle over control of the country.

It remains to be seen how Republican senators will vote on President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) targeted Sotomayor for her “prejudice” in his opening statement yesterday.

On the other hand, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) labeled the U.S. Court of Appeals judge “within the mainstream.”

Yesterday, Hatch solicited questions for Sotomayor from his Twitter followers.

Right now, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is questioning Sotomayor during her confirmation hearing.