WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., met this afternoon with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Just before 2 p.m. EDT, the federal judge, wearing a gray Aircast around her broken ankle and flanked by a cadre of assistants and police officers, walked into Franken’s Senate office to meet with the newest member of the Judiciary Committee.

Franken, who will be gathering with a group of legal advisers in Minnesota this weekend to prepare for Monday’s committee hearing with Sotomayor, said after the meeting that he was looking forward to considering her possible appointment to the nation’s highest court.

At the same time, he drew attention to her extensive experience and judicial record.

“Judge Sotomayor will be the most experienced appointee in 75 years, and has a great life story,” Franken said in a statement, adding:

“I’m glad to have had the chance to meet with her this afternoon, and I look forward to carefully considering her next week during the hearing. The current Supreme Court has been sliding back on the rights of Americans as employees, as parents, as consumers, and as investors, and it is critical that the next appointee understand the importance of these protections.”