Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both D-Wash., said Estrada, nominated by President Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has not been forthcoming about his views.

    Cantwell said Estrada failed to answer most of the substantive questions he was asked by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    "We are at a critical time in this country with regard to a woman's right to choose, with regard to how the judiciary will interpret the constitutional right to privacy, protect individuals from government surveillance and intrusion, and protect personal medical and financial information," she said.

    "If you take a test and don't answer the questions, you can't pass."

    Said Murray: "Without more information to determine how Mr. Estrada will rule as a federal judge on important matters of labor rights, rights of privacy, civil rights and environmental regulation, I cannot consent to his nomination."

    Democrats also want the White House to turn over internal memos Estrada wrote while serving in the solicitor general's office of the Justice Department during both the administrations of Bush's father and President Clinton.

    Would win confirmation

    If and when Estrada's nomination comes to the Senate floor for a vote, he is expected to win confirmation. That would make him one of the highest-ranking Hispanics in the federal judiciary.

    But, under Senate rules, a vote may be blocked by continued debate -- a filibuster.

    In a process called cloture, there will be a vote today aimed at ending the debate and clearing the way for a floor vote. But cloture requires 60 votes out of 100.

    Four Democrats have said they will vote to end the filibuster. But five more would be needed, along with all Republican senators, to invoke cloture.

    Honduran immigrant

    A 41-year-old Honduran immigrant and Harvard Law School graduate, Estrada practices law in Washington, D.C.

    Republican Hispanic groups plan rallies today in support of Estrada from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in front of federal buildings in Seattle and Yakima.

    Spokesman Pedro Celis of Bellevue said they want to convince Murray and Cantwell "to stop the partisan gridlock" and support Estrada, who has "sought to ensure that all citizens receive the law's fullest protections and benefits, whether they are death-row inmates, abortion clinics targeted by violent protesters, or inner-city residents victimized by gang violence.

    "We urge Senators Murray and Cantwell to put partisan politics aside so that Hispanics are no longer denied representation on one of the most prestigious courts in the land."