Do Senate Confirmation Hearings Matter?

It is Day Four of the U.S. Senate’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, and The Takeaway is asking: are Senate confirmation hearings a chance to explore the intricacies of U.S. jurisprudence and truly assess the character of the nominee? Or just a chance for senators to impress their constituents and for nominees to tell the Senate what they want to hear? The Takeaway talks to Nate Persily, a professor of law and political science at Columbia University.