Majority Approve of Sotomayor, Say Ethnicity Was Important to Obama

Most Americans approve of President Obama's choice of Sonia Sotomayor to join the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a new poll released Friday by Quinnipiac University.

When asked how they felt about Obama's choice, 54% of respondents approved, 24% disapproved and 22% said they didn't know. Women and Democrats were more likely than Republicans and men to give Sotomayor high marks. There was also cautionary news for Republicans weighing how strongly to oppose the nomination -- independents approve of Sotomayor by a 24% margin.

Quinnipiac asked several questions about the role and importance of ethnicity in nominations to the Supreme Court. A significant majority in the poll, 70%, believe that Sotomayor's ethnicity was very important or somewhat important in her selection.

Finally, when asked if bringing diversity to the Supreme Court is a more important consideration than a nominees' qualifications, 60% said qualifications are more important, 8% said diversity is more important, and 29% said qualifications and diversity are equally important.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,438 registered voters across the country for the three days following Sotomayor's nomination.

Sotomayor will begin visiting senators on Capitol Hill next week while the Juduciary Committee begins preparations for her confirmation hearings, which will likely be this summer.