Obama comes to defense of Sotomayor's statement on Latina judges

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Friday sought to deflect criticism of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who is under intensifying scrutiny for a saying in 2001 that she hoped a female Hispanic judge would make better decisions than a white male judge.

"I'm sure she would have restated it," Obama flatly told NBC News, without indicating how he knew that.

The quote in question from Sotomayor has emerged as a rallying call for conservative critics who fear she will offer opinions from the bench based less on the rule of law and more on her life experience, ethnicity and gender. That issue is likely to play a central role in her Senate confirmation process.

Obamasaid her message was on target even if her exact wording was not.

"I think that when she's appearing before the Senate committee, in her confirmation process, I think all this nonsense that is being spewed out will be revealed for what it is," Obama said.

The president's damage control underscored how the White House is eager to stay on message as the battle to publicly define Sotomayor picks up.

In a lecture titled "A Latina Judge's Voice" at the law school at the University of California in 2001, Sotomayor said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

AP