WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor has quit her membership in a women 's club , the New York-based Belizean Grove . Judge Sonia Sotomayor says the club does not discriminate . `` I believe that the Belizean Grove does not practice invidious discrimination and my membership did not violate the Judicial Code of Ethics , but I do not want questions about this to distract anyone from my qualifications and record , '' the 54-year-old New York federal appeals judge wrote . The American Bar Association 's judicial code says that a judge 's extrajudicial activities `` must not be conducted in connection or affiliation with an organization that practices invidious discrimination . '' It adds , `` An organization is generally said to discriminate invidiously if it arbitrarily excludes from membership on the basis of race , sex , gender , religion , national origin , ethnicity , or sexual orientation persons who would otherwise be eligible for admission . '' According to the group 's Web site , `` The Belizean Grove is a constellation of influential women who are key decision makers in the profit , nonprofit and social sectors ; who build long-term mutually beneficial relationships in order to both take charge of their own destinies and help others to do the same . '' A woman who answered the phone at the club , located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan , said no one was immediately available to comment . Sotomayor announced her decision to withdraw from the club effective Friday , in a letter to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy , chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , and Sen. Jeff Sessions , the committee 's ranking member . Her confirmation hearings begin July 13 . Sotomayor met Tuesday with six senators , courtesy visits with the lawmakers who will decide whether she will become the nation 's 111th justice . She has provided thousands of pages of material to the committee , but some Republican senators had asked for more information , including about her participation in the club . About 115 women are in the group , according to its Web site . Its leaders said it was created as a counterpart to the all-male social club the Bohemian Grove , which also has an influential network of leaders . Sotomayor told senators her group is not purposely exclusive . `` To the best of my knowledge , a man has never asked to be considered for membership . It is also my understanding that all interested individuals are duly considered by the membership committee , '' she wrote in her letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee . She added that men participate in the group 's activities , including trips , hosting events and talks . Sources indicated Sotomayor was recommended to the Belizean Grove by Mari Carmen Aponte , a corporate director and former top official at the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington . The only female member of the high court , Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , belongs to the International Women 's Forum , which has an exclusive membership . Former justice Sandra Day O'Connor also participated in similar women-only groups , an issue that was raised during her 1981 confirmation hearings . Among the Belizean Grove 's members are Marion Blakely , former chairwoman of the Federal Aviation Administration ; and Edie Weiner , leading futurist consultant and best-selling author .
Supreme Court justice nominee resigns from Belizean Grove . Sotomayor says her membership did not violate Judicial Code of Ethics . But she says she does n't want issue to distract from her record .