In his weekly radio address, President Obama defended his decision Saturday to nominate federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court after days of attacks by Republican lawmakers and activists. If confirmed, Sotomayor would become the first Latina to serve on the high court.

President Obama: “There are, of course, some in Washington who are attempting to draw old battle lines and playing the usual political games, pulling a few comments out of context to paint a distorted picture of Judge Sotomayor’s record. But I am confident that these efforts will fail, because Judge Sotomayor’s seventeen-year record on the bench, hundreds of judicial decisions that every American can read for him or herself, speak far louder than any attack. Her record makes clear that she is fair, unbiased, and dedicated to the rule of law.”