US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has again been grilled over her comment that a "wise Latina" might make better rulings than a white male.
She was facing questions on Wednedday during the third day of her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ms Sotomayor, 55, said she regretted that her remark several years ago had been misunderstood.
Judge Sotomayor, 55, was referring to this remark she made in 2001:
"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a former state judge and attorney general, asked her if she stood by the remark.
"I stand by the words 'it fell flat'", she said, in reference to her response on Tuesday that the comment was a rhetorical flourish gone awry.
She added: "I understand that some people have understood them in a way that I never intended. And I would hope that, in the context of the speech, that they would be understood."
Senator Cornyn asked whether she would regret if her audience of students understood her to be saying that the quality of a judge depended on race, gender or ethnicity. She said: "I would regret that."
The BBC reports senators will question other witnesses on Thursday about Ms Sotomayor's record as a judge.
If, as expected, Ms Sotomayor is confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic Supreme Court judge.
