"Judge Sonia Sotomayor has begun the process by which she will be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Here is the real deal on Judge Sotomayor: Although her overall record is solid, she did allow a gross injustice to take place in New Haven, Connecticut. Nineteen white firefighters and one Hispanic were denied promotions because no African Americans performed well enough on the civil service test to be promoted. The Supreme Court ruled 5 - 4 that the firefighters were unjustly treated, but in dissent the ultra-liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg exposed the danger America is facing. Judge Ginsburg said New Haven was correct in denying the firefighters what they earned because they had 'no vested right to a promotion.' Ginsburg's opinion is unjust, but she could not care less. She has ignored the Constitution, preferring to impose her far-left political opinions on the entire nation. Think about this: The firefighters take a legitimate test and because the test doesn't come out the way Ginsburg and other liberal judges want, they throw it out! By siding with the social engineering crew, Judge Sotomayor has created doubt about her ability to be fair. I believe she's an honest woman, but if she turns out to be another Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the United States will take a huge turn for the worse. We need judges who will treat all Americans the same way."

For more on the Sotomayor hearings, The Factor welcomed former Bush advisor Karl Rove. "When Senator Schumer introduced Judge Sotomayor," Rove pointed out, "he clearly put her in the camp of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and she herself clearly identified with Ginsburg. She dismissed the claims of the firefighters who were denied promotions because they happen to be Latino or white. When it comes to questions of race, Judge Sotomayor has a philosophy that is out of step with ordinary people." Nevertheless, The Factor predicted that Sotomayor will skate through the Senate. "Many Democratic Senators want another Ginsburg and President Obama certainly does. There are many on the left and the right who don't want the Constitution upheld; they want an imposition of their ideology on the entire country."

The Factor asked Fox News analysts Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham whether they would vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor. "Based on what I heard today," Williams replied, "I would vote yes. She's supremely well-educated, a former prosecutor, and has been on the federal bench for 17 years. Her rulings are mainstream, but it's what she has said off the bench that gives me pause." Ham reluctantly concurred that Sotomayor is qualified for the high court. "She meets the basic parameters and Obama has the right to appoint her. But it's important to point out that we are dealing with somebody for whom justice might not actually be blind, but is explicitly color-coded. It's ridiculous to make the assertion that someone makes better judgments because of the color of their skin."

A new Hispanic organization called "Presente Action" is targeting some Republicans in Congress who have not repudiated Rush Limbaugh's criticism of Sonia Sotomayor. The Factor asked Internet expert Amanda Carpenter to investigate Presente Action. "This group is trying to promote 'identity-based' campaigns," Carpenter reported. "They're trying to mobilize people for political advocacy based on their ethnicity, and they're trying to remind Hispanic voters that Republican candidates may be racist and are tied in with Rush Limbaugh. One of the co-founders of the organization behind this comes from MoveOn.org." The Factor speculated about the motivation behind the campaign: "MoveOn's tentacles come out of their headquarters and into identity politics - they're trying to tie in some congressmen with Limbaugh and they're presenting Limbaugh as a Republican leader, which is not true."

With California spending an estimated $5 billion to provide illegal aliens with various benefits, a taxpayer group is promoting an initiative that would dramatically cut benefits for illegals and their children. The Factor was joined by Tony Dolz, a supporter of the initiative. "We want to offer relief to the beleaguered California taxpayer." Dolz asserted, "We are going to deter 'birth tourism' by having birth mothers sign an affidavit that they are either citizens or legal residents. We are also going to eliminate 'child-only' welfare payments, which are directly deposited into parents' bank accounts to provide for the children. And public benefits for illegal immigrants will be eliminated. The state has no money." The Factor warned Dolz that he will have trouble winning approval for at least one part of his agenda: "I don't know if Californians are going to go for eliminating direct payments to the parents of destitute children."

The Factor asked Culture Warriors Margaret Hoover and Gretchen Carlson about Sarah Palin's decision to step down as governor of Alaska. "There is a suggestion out there," Hoover complained, "that women are more sensitive and can't take the heat. I think she wanted to fight back in ways that she didn't feel like she could, and now she is not hindered by having a responsibility to a state." Carlson declared that the personal attacks on Palin were unprecedented: "Name one male politician who has ever been eviscerated to the level that Palin was. Now the New York Times comes out and says she may have lost a lot of weight from the stress. Who wouldn't! This woman was eviscerated, and if this means she is going to go back to her family and raise her children in a way she sees fit, I support her." The Factor agreed that media elites delighted in mocking Palin. "There's no doubt that the criticism was unrelenting - there is a cheap and tawdry piece in Newsweek that we'll examine tomorrow."

Congressman Bobby Rush took issue with Bill's claim that Rush played "the race card" and called Congressman Peter King a "racist" after King criticized Michael Jackson." The Factor's Check: "Rush spoke specifically about African Americans, which sounds like a race-based argument. However, Rush is correct in saying he did not call Mr. King a 'racist.' I should have made that clear." Meanwhile, the website TVGuide.com also criticized Bill for saying Jackson's children were fathered by white men, asking the question, "Are Madonna and Angelina Jolie less white because they adopted black children?" The Factor's Check: "That analysis is not only bizarre, it is incredibly stupid. These morons apparently don't know the difference between adoption and in vitro fertilization, where parents select sperm donors."

Monday's Patriot: The late Tony Snow, who died from cancer one year ago. The Factor lauded Snow as "the bravest guy I ever met ... an example of what a patriot should be." And the Pinhead: Singer Chris Brown, who was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna and is now sporting a $300,000 necklace that reads "OOPS."

Ramona Antonelli, Watertown, NY: "A festival called 'God and Country' and it's not religious? Come on, Bill."

Brenda Madore, Nampa, ID: "Bill, the fact that the Pentagon denied the flyover after 42 straight years is insane. The festival is designed to honor vets and this is a slap in the face to them."

Jodi Kyman, Palmdale, CA: "I am an atheist and believe the flyover does not violate anything."

David Roth, Boston, MA: "Bill, please try to convince Laura Ingraham there is global warming."

Aniruddha Palsude, Pune, India: "Mr. O'Reilly, it is unfair to compare India and the U.S. when it comes to combating global warming. America emits most of the world's greenhouse gases. We are still trying to feed millions."