Legal Beat

Minutes from two board of directors meetings in 1987 and 1988 note that Sotomayor briefed the board on the group's litigation efforts, as chairman of its litigation committee.

But the documents released by the Judiciary Committee as it prepares for confirmation hearings beginning July 13 revealed little surprising about Sotomayor's work for the advocacy group.

A 1987 report to the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund reported that the group officially opposed the unsuccessful nomination of conservative jurist Robert H. Bork "because of the threat he poses to the civil rights of the Latino community."

Bork's controversial nomination ended when the Senate defeated it, 42-58.

The same 1987 annual report showed that the group had helped ACORN, a controversial community organizing group, in representing low-income Puerto Rican families to form a housing association. Republicans have assailed ACORN in recent months, as the organization has faced allegations of voter registration fraud.

"A cursory look at the limited material now in our possession raises several red flags, including a link between PRLDEF and ACORN, as well as information indicating Judge Sotomayor's deeper-than-previously thought involvement in developing the legal positions of the organization," said Stephen Boyd, a spokesman for Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican.

Sessions signalled last month that the GOP will highlight some of the group's positions as part of a broader bid to paint Sotomayor as out of the mainstream. Sessions, R-Ala., said the group has held "very shocking positions with respect to terrorism."

Senate Democratic leaders rebutted the notion that Sotomayor, who currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, is not "in the mainstream."

"Despite some accusations labeling Judge Sonia Sotomayor's decisions outside the mainstream, supporters and many critics alike agree that Judge Sotomayor is a careful, restrained judge whose decisions show an understanding of the issues before the court, a respect for established precedent, and deference to the law-making role of the elected branches," Senate Democrats said in a statement Wednesday.

Republicans are likely to be hard-pressed to try to block Sotomayor's confirmation with the addition of Sen.-elect Al Franken of Minnesota to the Democratic column.

This gives the Democratic caucus a potential 60 votes, including independent Sens. Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. But ailing Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts have been absent from the Senate for months.

LatinoJustice PRLDEF is expected to deliver additional documents to the committee in the coming days.

Sessions has said the committee should not begin Sotomayor's confirmation hearings until it has had time to review all the documents.

"As we've previously pointed out, this is a Supreme Court nominee with one of the longest records in recent history, who is being rushed through the Senate in the shortest time line in recent history. If these dilatory tactics continue, it will be increasingly more difficult for the hearing to go forward on July 13," Boyd said.