Over the week since she was introduced to the nation, public support for Judge Sonia Sotomayor has softened a bit, but 88% still say it’s likely that she will be confirmed as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.

A week ago, 87% said her confirmation was likely. In both surveys, 59% said her confirmation is Very Likely.

Still, while her confirmation by the Democratic-controlled Senate is expected, the number who support confirmation slipped a bit, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty-one percent (41%) now favor confirmation of Sotomayor while 36% are opposed. A week ago, those figures were 45% and 29% respectively.

Unchanged from last week is the fact that most Democrats favor confirmation while most Republicans are opposed. Those not affiliated with either major party are now evenly divided. Last week, unaffiliateds leaned modestly in favor of confirmation.

Over the past week, the nominee has been criticized for comments suggesting that a “wise Latina woman” would make better judicial decisions than a white male. President Obama and his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, have both said Sotomayor misspoke.

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Forty-eight percent (48%) of all voters have a favorable opinion of Sotomayor, virtually unchanged from 49% a week ago. However, the number with an unfavorable opinion has grown from 36% a week ago to 44% today.

Twenty-one percent (21%) now have a Very Favorable opinion, up a point from last week.

Twenty-three percent (23%) hold a Very Unfavorable view, up six from a week ago.

Forty-eight percent (48%) hold their views less firmly. Among this group, Democrats are more likely to say they Somewhat Approve while Republicans Somewhat Disapprove.

Forty-six percent (46%) believe that Sotomayor is politically liberal while 37% view her as a moderate. A week ago, those figures were 43% and 32% respectively.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republicans now view Sotomayor as politically liberal, a view shared by 50% of unaffiliateds. However, 53% of Democrats view the Supreme Court nominee as politically moderate. The partisan divide on this question has increased significantly.

As the Senate considers the president’s first Supreme Court nominee, 45% of the nation’s voters say a nominee's legal competence is more important than concerns about diversity or their position on issues.

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