The highly-anticipated Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor are under way in D.C. It appears almost certain that she will emerge from Senate hearings this week poised to become the first Latina member of the U.S. Supreme Court since Democrats hole a majority in both the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering whether Sotomayor should be the 111th person to sit on the nation’s highest court. If confirmed, she would be the third woman justice and the first Latina.

The Committee Chairman,Patrick Leahy, offered strong praise for the woman in life, saying, “Judge Sotomayor’s journey to this hearing room is a truly American story.”

The hearings are expected to last no more than a week, with time for an opening statement from the nominee, and perhaps two days or more of questioning from senators. A vote by the full Senate – the last step in confirmation – has not been scheduled, but Obama has said he wants Sotomayor on the high court in time for the start of its next session in September.

In nominating Sotomayor, the White House has focused on her life as an example of an American dream success story: the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, the sacrifices her mother made for her children, living for a time in a Bronx housing project, an Ivy League education and her volunteer work for legal and charitable causes.

Republicans have questioned Sotomayor's views on affirmative action, gun rights and whether her Latina heritage would unfairly affect her judicial ruling. The latter is spurred by a comment she made at a 2001 speech where she said she hoped a “wise Latina” might make smarter legal choices than a white male counterpart.

Do you want to chime in on the debate?

• Create a petition to support or oppose Sotomayor's confirmation.
• Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda, famous for writing and starring in the Broadway musical In the Heights, comically extoling the virtues of confirming Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the United States Supreme Court.