Faith and Action president Rob Schenck attended today’s opening session of the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee to the US Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor of

The Senate Judiciary Committee recesses after its first day of confirmation proceedings for Sonia Sotomayor.

New York.

Rob was the guest of one of the senators on the Judiciary Committee and stayed for the entirety of today’s procedings.

“There’s nothing that substitutes for being right there where the action is going on,” said Rob, who was present for hearings of both Associate Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. “Being that close helps me to discern who this nominee really is as well as who the people are that are around her.I was grateful to God and to my host for the opportunity.”

Being present at the hearing also gave Rob the opportunity to meet Judge Sotomayor.

“I told her people on both side are praying for her and for God’s will to be done through this process.”

Rob plans to attend the remaining sessions of the hearing, which are expected to last all week.

Faith and Action president Rev. Rob Schenck will attend US Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the President’s nominee to the United States Supreme Court, slated to begin July 13 and probably last much of the week.

Rev. Schenck will file regular video reports and blog posts on the progress of the hearings throughout the process. He will be joined by Rev. Patrick Mahoney and other clergy during the week for special prayer services to be held outside the US Senate Hart Building and in the Prayer Garden at the nearby Faith and Action Ministry Center.

Anyone can join in prayer for the confirmation and vote process by following Faith and Action at this website, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings Monday, July 13, for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as President Barack Obama’s appointee to the United States Supreme Court.

Sonia Sotomayor (center) with mother (left), VP Biden, (right) and the President at the White House.

Here are some facts about Judge Sotomayor:

- Born June 25, 1954; New York, N.Y.

- Daughter to Puerto Rican parents and raised in South Bronx

- Educated in Catholic grammar and high schools

- Father died when she was young

- Married and divorced during college years; no children

- Took her undergraduate degree from Princeton University (1976)

- Took her law degree from Yale Law School (1979)

- Career: assistant district attorney, New York County, 1979-84; private practice, New York City, 1984-92; judge, US District Court, Southern District of New York, 1992-98; judge, US Court of Appeals for Second Circuit, 1998-present.

- Appointed to federal bench by presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton

- Past board member of abortion-friendly group in New York with historic ties to Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger

- Has made no public comments about abortion, but former colleague “guarantees” she’ll back “abortion rights”

- Ruled in favor of federal government pro-life policies during George W. Bush presidential administration

- Is NOT first Hispanic named to high appellate court; that was President Bush’s unsuccessful nominee Miguel Estrada

- IS first Hispanic woman nominated to the highest court

Faith and Action IS NOT taking a position for or against this nominee. Instead, we are praying truth will prevail in the confirmation process and God’s people will make their feelings about it known to their two US senators before a vote is cast.

Stay with us throughout the confirmation hearing and voting process by watching our website, www.faithandaction.org, and on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace!