Kagan and Sotomayor say the Supreme Court must stay out of politics to protect its legitimacy

On the eve of a Senate vote likely to result in the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the US Supreme Court, two of the three practicing female judges said the court needed to protect its own reputation for To be unbiased, neutral and fair. Judges Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor shared the concerns that a pervasive polarization of the country's political environment could affect the public's perception of the legitimacy of the court.

At a question-and-answer conference at a conference at Princeton University dedicated to celebrating women, Kagan and Sotomayor did not directly address the prospect of Confirmation of Kavanaugh but said that it was helpful to maintain a "middle position" on the bench of judges.

"It's a really divided time," Kagan said. "Part of the strength and legitimacy of the court depends on the fact that people do not see the court in the same way as the rest of the ruling structures in the country."

Their planned appearance at the conference "She Roars" took place a few hours later Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Senator Joe Manchin, D-Virginia, have announced their support for Kavanaugh's appointment. The full Senate is expected to hold the final vote on Saturday.

"We must go beyond partisanship in our personal relationships," Sotomayor J. said. "We must treat each other with respect and dignity and with a sense of friendship that the rest of the world does not share often."

Sotomayor said that she was looking for "good" in her colleagues and that the members of the court used to maintain collegial relations even in times of disagreement. "If you start from the idea that there is something positive about everyone, it is much easier to get along with them," she said.

"We are only nine," Kagan added. "We all have an interest in having good relationships with each other."

The two judges, both Princeton graduates, were questioned before an audience of more than 3,000 by another former student, Heather Gerken, who is currently the Dean of Yale Law School, Kavanaugh's alma mater. Although she did not raise the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh on Friday, Gerken had previously stated in a statement that she shared the "deep concern" of other members of the Yale's faculty about his appointment.

The judges, who were both appointed to the court by former President Obama, also spoke about their experiences as pioneering women in their own fields and at Princeton, which began accepting undergraduate students in 1969.

"You can not be a professional woman, even today, whether in law, medicine, in any field, without having a time when someone will treat you differently because that you are a woman, "Sotomayor, a Princeton graduate in 1976, said.

Both judges dismissed the idea that they were interrupted more often than their male counterparts because of their gender, as suggested by a recent study.

"I do not think it's on the bench of judges," said Kagan, adding that the statistics on which the study was based are more likely due to the fact that she and Sotomayor are relatively young judges.

Kagan insisted that she herself, Sotomayor and Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg "asked a lot of questions" and gave the lawyers "a good shot for their money".

"None of us is reducing violets," she said.