Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in during her confirmation hearing before the Senate judiciary committee on Capitol Hill in Washington Monday. (George Bridges/Pool/Associated Press)U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told a congressional hearing Monday that a judge's role is to apply the law and not make it, a statement aimed at Republican criticism she might let her personal opinions drive her decisions.

In her opening remarks to the U.S. Senate judiciary committee holding confirmation hearings into her appointment, Sotomayor said she forms her rulings "by setting out what the law requires and then by explaining why a contrary position, sympathetic or not, is accepted or rejected."

"In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make the law — it is to apply the law," she said.

Sotomayor, who could become the first Hispanic justice in the U.S. Supreme Court, said her personal and professional experiences help her listen and understand, "with the law always commanding the result in every case."

Republicans have repeatedly questioned a 2001 speech in which Sotomayor, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents, said she hoped a "wise Latina" would reach better conclusions than a white male who lacked the same life experience.

Sotomayor's mother, Celia Sotomayor, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue as her daughter thanked her for the sacrifices she made to send her to law school and her brother, Juan, to medical school. Sotomayor's father died when she was nine years old.

Judicial pioneer: Democrats

Earlier Monday, Democrats likened Sotomayor, who grew up in a N.Y. housing project, to other pioneers on the court, including Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice on the high court; Louis Brandeis, the first Jew; and Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman.

"In truth, we do not have to speculate about what kind of a justice she will be because we have seen the kind of judge she has been," the committee's Democratic chairman, Patrick Leahy, said in his opening statement.

"She is a judge in which all Americans can have confidence. She has been a judge for all Americans and will be a justice for all Americans."

Leahy warned committee Republicans to tread lightly in their questioning, saying: "Let no one demean this extraordinary woman."

Republicans plan to challenge what they call Sotomayor's record of judicial "activism," arguing she places personal feelings ahead of the legal statute.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican, vowed a "respectful tone" and "maybe some disagreements" when lawmakers begin questioning Sotomayor on Tuesday.

Republicans have signalled they will press her to explain past rulings involving discrimination complaints and gun rights, as well as remarks that they say raise doubts about her ability to judge cases fairly.

"I will not vote for, and no senator should vote for, an individual nominated by any president who is not fully committed to fairness and impartiality," said Sessions.

That was a reference to President Barack Obama's declaration — made before he named Sotomayor — that he wanted a person of empathy on the high court.

However, Republicans have acknowledged the appointment is likely to proceed.

"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told Sotomayor, prompting laughter throughout the room and a small grin from the nominee. He quickly added he didn't think she would have a meltdown.

Protesters disrupt hearings

Two protesters briefly disrupted the morning proceedings. In the first, a man shouted: "What about the unborn?" and called abortion "genocide." He was quickly removed from the room by security officers, as Leahy warned that any outbursts from onlookers wouldn't be tolerated

Later, a second man shouted: "Abortion is murder, defend life." He added a few words in Spanish before he was removed.

Along with the "wise Latina" comment, critics have zeroed in on a ruling on white firefighters from New Haven, Conn., who won their Supreme Court case last month.

By a 5-4 vote, the high court agreed with the firefighters, who claimed they were denied promotions on account of their race after New Haven officials threw out test results because too few minorities did well. The court reversed a decision by a New York appeals court panel that included Sotomayor.

If confirmed, Sotomayor is not expected to alter the court's balance on controversial issues such as abortion and affirmative action.

With files from The Associated Press