Speaking with young students in Denver, Sotomayor noted that some people asked whether authorities had done enough to track the two suspects, both ethnic Chechens.
"Is that profiling? Could be," she said. "Is it something you just can't ignore? Maybe sometimes not."
Sotomayor, who was in Denver for the dedication of a new state courts building, said police who rely only on racial profiling to decide if someone committed a crime are usually wrong. But she said investigators need to pay attention to some "indicators" about suspects, without saying what they might be.
"It's a fine line society walks in trying to be fair," she said.
