Legal Beat

With the end of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing in sight, the jockeying over when the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on her nomination has begun.

Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., announced earlier today he was scheduling the vote for next Tuesday, July 21. But the top-ranking Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, told reporters that would be too soon. The committee allows members to request a one-week delay in any scheduled action. So a short time ago, Leahy offered a compromise: he'll postpone the vote until next Wednesday or Thursday if Republicans agree not to impose a full week's delay.

Leahy said the idea of delaying the vote a day or two rather than by a week came from a Republican, former Judiciary Chairman Orrin G. Hatch of Utah.

--Keith Perine contributed to this post.