SENATE PANEL greenlights Sotomayor.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor took a big step Tuesday toward becoming the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court as a key Senate panel voted in favor of her historic nomination.
The US Senate Judiciary Committee's 13-6 vote referred the appeals court judge to the full Senate for confirmation, which was expected to occur before lawmakers leave on a month-long break August 7.
The Princeton-educated jurist would be the second woman currently on the court, alongside Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the third to serve on the bench after retired justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Senator Lindsey Graham was the only Republican to join US President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in voting for Sotomayor, though a handful of others have said they will side with the White House in the final vote. LinkHere