Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor will begin on July 13, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday.

Leahy made the announcement during a floor speech in which he touted the nominee, who would be the first Latina to sit on the nation’s highest court. He also praised President Barack Obama’s outreach to Capitol Hill to ensure a speedy confirmation process.

“There is no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee,— Leahy urged. “Indeed, given the attacks on her character, there are compelling reasons to proceed even ahead of this schedule. She deserves the earliest opportunity to respond to those attacks.—

Leahy has pressed for a quick confirmation of Sotomayor to ensure she is in place for the court’s October session. Meanwhile, Republicans led by Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the Judiciary panel’s ranking member, have called for more time to vet the nominee. They have asked that hearings begin in September.