Since President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court; numerous conservative media figures have smeared her as a racist and a bigot. In doing so, these media figures have frequently cited -- and misrepresented -- remarks she made during a speech at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law, in which she asserted, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Specifically, Rush Limbaugh claimed Soto mayor is a "reverse racist"; radio host Mark Levin called her a "bigot"; and Glenn Beck claimed Soto mayor made "one of the most outrageous racist remarks I've heard. ... She sure sounds like a racist."

As Media Matters for America has documented, media figures have misrepresented Sotomayor's Berkeley remarks. For example, Fox News host Megyn Kelly said that Soto mayor was claiming "that Latina judges are obviously better than white male judges." In fact, Soto mayor was specifically discussing the importance of diversity in adjudicating race and sex discrimination cases.

Conservatives have chosen a strange leader to spearhead their charge against Judge Sotomayor - Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). With only days remaining until Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin, Sessions has focused his attacks on Sotomayor's past service on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), a leading civil rights organization that Sessions calls "extreme" because it "brought several race discrimination lawsuits for minorities" while Sotomayor sat on its board.