HispanicBusiness

Although Sonia Sotomayor may soon become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, the U.S. Hispanic population -- while mostly supportive -- isn't the demographic that gives her the highest approval ratings, according to a new poll.

The survey, released today by Quinnipiac University, shows that blacks and Jews give Sotomayor the highest marks, with 85 percent of the former and 66 percent of the latter saying they approve of the nomination.

Among Hispanics, 58 percent said they approved, followed by white Catholics (51 percent), white voters (49 percent), white Protestants (43 percent), and white evangelical Christians (35 percent).

The only group in which those opposed outnumbered those in favor was the white evangelicals. Overall, the survey of 3,000 voters nationwide found that American voters approve of the nomination, with 55 percent in favor, 25 percent opposed, and the rest saying they don't know.

"Since her nomination nine days ago, her level of support with the American people has been constant," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. "There is an indication that criticism from some conservatives and Republicans has not struck a chord with the voters -- at least not yet."

The poll is in line with a Gallup poll last week
finding that the number of Americans who view Sotomayor favorably significantly exceeds that of those who view her negatively.

Still, nearly a quarter of all Hispanics surveyed said they do not support the nomination. Similarly, roughly a quarter of the Hispanics said they would vote Republican if the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today.