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Following Two Days of Hearings, 90% Expect Sotomayor to Be Confirmed
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Following the first two days of confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, voters overwhelmingly expect her to be confirmed for the U.S. Supreme Court but remain divided as to whether she should be.

Ninety percent (90%) now say her confirmation is likely while only four percent (4%) say it is not.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of voters now favor her confirmation while 43% are opposed. Importantly, those who are undecided have a positive view of President Obama and are probably willing to give him and his nominee the benefit of the doubt.

Today’s results are based upon polling conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, the first two days of the hearings. Yesterday’s results were based upon polling conducted Sunday and Monday night.

In our Tuesday morning write-up of the results, we noted that the single night data from Monday night showed improvement for Sotomayor. However, that improvement did notcarry over to last night’s polling. At this point, it is impossible to know whether Monday’s uptick in support was statistical noise or a substantive change.

Current support for the nominee remains consistent with the results found in late June when 37% were in favor of her confirmation and 39% were opposed.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? Sign up now. If it's in the news, it's in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.

Rasmussen Reports will continue tracking support for Sotomayor’s confirmation on a daily basis during the confirmation hearings. Results will be updated each morning at 10:30 EDT. Premium Members can get an advance look at the daily numbers in the Daily Briefing from Scott Rasmussen.

Voters remain evenly divided in the views of Sotomayor. Forty-seven percent (47%) have a favorable opinion of her, including 20% very favorable. Forty-six percent (46%) view her unfavorably, with 24% very unfavorable. These numbers also have remained largely the same since her nomination was announced.

Forty-eight percent (48%) view her ideology as politically liberal while 32% say she is a moderate.

The partisan divide over the nominee is predictable. By a three-to-one margin, Democrats say Sotomayor should be confirmed, and by a similar margin Republicans hold the opposite view. Fifty-five percent (55%) of those not affiliated with either major party oppose her confirmation.

Eighty-three percent (83%) also say the U.S. legal system should apply the law equally to all Americans rather than using the law to help those who have less power and influence.

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See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs are available to Premium Members.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

The Rasmussen Reports Election Edge™ Premium Service offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage available anywhere.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
July 13-14, 2009

Should the U.S. Senate confirm Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court Justice?

Yes

37%

No

43%

Not sure

20%

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