legality of some kinds of abortions and whether there was a fundamental right to possess firearms and self-defense . Judges look at the facts of a case and apply the law based on those facts , she said . `` It 's not that we make a broad policy choice and say this is what we want , '' Sotomayor continued . Watch Face Off : Should Sotomayor be confirmed ? '' Her performance rankled Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter , the former Republican committee chairman who changed parties last April . Specter repeatedly cut off Sotomayor 's responses Wednesday , saying she was not answering his questions . Later , in praising Sotomayor 's record as a judge , Specter said : `` I 'm not commenting about your answers , but your record is exemplary . '' `` You 'll be judged on your record more than your answers , '' he said . If approved by the committee and confirmed by the full Senate , the 55-year-old Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice , the third female justice and the 111th person to sit on the nation 's highest court . Watch Sotomayor being questioned
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sonia Sotomayor strongly asserted her adherence to the law while dodging questions about her personal beliefs on the third day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee . Sonia Sotomayor answers questions from senators on Wednesday , the third day of her confirmation hearings . Asked repeatedly Wednesday by Republicans about her controversial statement that a `` wise Latina '' could reach a better decision than a white man , Sotomayor called it a poorly expressed but valid point about the value of differing perspectives in applying the law . Senators from both parties pressed her on her personal views on issues such as abortion , gun control and executive powers . But Sotomayor consistently answered she needed to know the specifics of a particular case , such as applicable state statutes and other facts . Sensing frustration over her responses , the federal appellate judge offered an explanation about how judges approach the law . `` What we do is different than the conversations citizens have about what they want the law to do , '' Sotomayor said Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma , who sought her views on the