SUPREME COURT

Sotomayor Stumbles In Trivia Portion Of Confirmation

WASHINGTON (CAP) - Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are expressing dismay and concern today after Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor missed on a number of trivia questions posed to her during an extended session of her confirmation hearing. Both Democrats and Republicans now say the judge's confirmation is anything but a done deal.

"She did very well with science and nature, and even in specific genres like Fantasy Authors Of The 20th Century," said Judiciary chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). "But once we hit the lightning round, she really fell to pieces, couldn't even get the true-false.

"It was rough watching her go all Tom Watson on us like that," Leahy added.

Panel members hoping to see Sotomayor breeze through the rest of her confirmation now worry President Obama may have to dig out his Hispanic rolodex and find another nominee. Those fears are being exacerbated by concern that the only other Hispanic female judge in the United States is Marilyn Milian from The People's Court.

"Actually, she's Latina," said CAP News Hispanic correspondent Eva-Yolanda Maricruz. "In fact, so am I, but you guys keep calling me Hispanic. I think it's time to call HR."

Many Republicans who had publicly committed to cast their vote for Sotomayor are now backpedaling on that decision, expressing concern over how well Hispanics can do in games of trivia. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) pointed to the lack of Hispanic contestants on gameshows like Jeopardy! as proof the Hispanic population still has a ways to go.

"Hispanics as a whole have made some fantastic inroads - I mean, look at how well Alberto Gonzalez' music career is doing," said Collins. "But if Sotomayor doesn't even know who starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the 1989 movie Harlem Nights, how is she going to do when push comes to shove in upholding the U.S. Constitution?"

The abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America was one of many public-interest groups to withhold its decision on an endorsement of Sotomayor until the conclusion of the hearings. President Nancy Keenan now says she's glad they waited to weigh all the information.

"While we're pleased that Judge Sotomayor expressed support for a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy, we're unhappy she didn't know that in the game of poker, aces and eights are called a Dead Man's Hand," Keenan said. "As such, we cannot support Judge Sotomayor at this time."

Supporters of Sotomayor are lobbying the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider something else in lieu of the trivia, such as a round of Pictionary, Jenga, or the '80s classic party game Scattergories.