Franken Last to Speak at Sotomayor Hearing

One of the sidelights of the opening day of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearing was the focus on newly installed Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., who because of his lack of seniority was the last member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to speak.

The former comedian was mostly serious during his allotted ten minutes but did draw some laughs from the packed hearing room when he dryly noted for the record that "this is my fifth day in office."

He called it "an incredible honor" to be part of the committee and pointed out that his participation in the hearing was his "first major responsibility" as a senator. An aide said Franken is thrilled to be able to take part in the process.

Franken said nothing too controversial and noted, "I may not be a lawyer, but neither are the overwhelming majority of Americans. Yet all of us, regardless of our backgrounds and professions, have a huge stake in who sits on the Supreme Court, and we are profoundly affected by its decisions."

An Associated Press reporter spotted Franken taking copious notes during the hearing. He was seated at the far end of the Democratic end of the dais. After the lunch break photographers clicked scores of pictures of him with late-arriving Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Penn., whom he sat next to in the afternoon.

Franken expressed his concern that activist judges are taking too much authority away from Congress. "Except under the most exceptional circumstances, the judicial branch is designed to show deep deference to the Congress and not make policy by itself," he said.

Franken also said he looked forward to asking the nominee questions about her views of judicial activism and how it relates to federal campaign finance laws and voting rights. But because he's last in seniority, it's unlikely that Franken will be able to get to ask his questions until Wednesday.

Over the weekend, Franken met with a group of his home state's legal minds to talk about the nomination hearing. His press secretary described the meeting as "hugely informative" for the new senator.