US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has been speaking on the second day of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
She defended comments that appeared to suggest a "wise Latina" could make better decisions than a white man.
The nominee said she did not believe that any racial or ethnic group had an advantage in sound judgment.
Nominated by the US president, Ms Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic to serve on the court if she is confirmed.
‘Equal opportunity’
"The context of the words that I spoke have created a misunderstanding," Ms Sotomayor told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.
RISE OF SONIA SOTOMAYOR
- 1954: Born in South Bronx to Puerto Rican parents
- Father died when she was aged nine and her mother raised her
- 1979: Graduates from Yale and serves as an assistant district attorney in New York County
- 1984: Moves into private practice, specialising in intellectual property
- 1991: George Bush Snr chooses her as a district judge
- 1997: Bill Clinton nominates her to the circuit court
Profile: Sonia Sotomayor
Sotomayor on the spot
"I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging," she said.
"I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences."
Her comments were in response to criticism of a 2001 speech in which she appeared to suggest a "wise Latina" would usually reach better conclusions than a white man without similar experiences.
During the first day of the hearings, on Monday, Ms Sotomayor, 55, told the committee that her personal story – of growing up in a poor New York neighbourhood to Puerto Rican parents, going to law school and rising to become an appeals court judge – was "uniquely American".
Confirmation hearings for a new Supreme Court justice provide one of Washington’s most imposing pieces of political theatre, correspondents say.</p
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