Her life is one of those only-in-America stories: raised by a single mom in the South Bronx determined to give her every opportunity to succeed, propelled by the talent and hard work that would earn her scholarships and honors at the best schools in the country; driven always by the belief that it doesn't matter where you come from or what you look like or what challenges life throws your way, no dream is beyond reach in the United States of America.

"I appreciated the comment. When you consider that women were not given the right to vote until 1920; and when you consider - may the record show a smile from Senator Feinstein - when you consider that there is still a tremendous glass ceiling; when you consider Lilly Ledbetter. You could go on and on and on...And when she refers to being a Latino, that's a little ethnic pride. I think that's a pretty healthy thing, to have a little ethnic pride. So I not only found - I didn't find fault with 'a wise Latina woman.' I thought it was commendable."

“It was a great show, and it amazes me that you wanted to become a prosecutor based on the show, because in Perry Mason, the prosecutor, Burger, lost every week…but I think that says something about your determination to defy the odds.”

“Did it change my view of the Constitution? No sir, the Constitution is a timeless document. It was intended to guide us through decades, generation after generation, to everything that would develop in our country. It has protected us as a nation. It has inspired our survival.”

“She comes to the nomination with substantial experience. It’s a miserable process to go through the hearing, but I survived and she probably will too.”