Washington - The Senate Judiciary Committee will gather at 10 a.m. today to vote on Sonia Sotomayor, with President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee likely to win approval by a comfortable margin.

    The majority Democrats have been strongly in favor of the Bronx-born judge, who would be the first Latina to serve on the high court. They say her record as a New York prosecutor and her 17 years of experience on the bench shows she would be in the mainstream of American law.

    They have pressed to approve Sotomayor before the Senate's August recess so she can be on the court in early September, when the justices are to hear a major case on corporate spending in election races.

    Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the committee chairman, says he expects Sotomayor to have bipartisan support. But that may translate into just one of the seven Republicans voting yes.

    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said he will vote for Sotomayor, even though he believes she will be a "left of center" justice.

    All 12 Democrats on the panel are expected to vote aye.

    Each of the 19 members of the committee is likely to take a few minutes to explain his or her vote. When they are finished, the clerk will call the roll. Then it's expected that Leahy will say the nomination is being sent to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.

    The Senate is expected to hold a debate and a final vote on the nomination next week.

    If confirmed, Sotomayor will replace moderately liberal Justice David H. Souter and is unlikely to change the ideological balance of the high court.