Conn. Delegation Reacts to Nomination of Harriet Miers to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 — Reaction on Capitol Hill to President Bush’s nomination of Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court has been unusually mild, as lawmakers in both parties try to make sense of a nominee with no prior judicial experience.
It could be the calm before the storm. Though her accomplishments are well known, little is known about her personal views on hot-button topics like abortion and affirmative action. This lack of paper trail coupled with the likelihood that the White House will withhold documents that could cast light on her legal views-as they did with John Roberts-could foreshadow a resistance from both conservatives and liberals-groups from whom she has already received some sniping.
Though the nomination hearings have yet to begin, some legislators have already expressed support for Miers. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called her “a very fine lawyer,” and said her lack of judicial experience was “a plus, not a minus.” Reid expressed delight that, like him, she was a trial lawyer. In fact, Reid had suggested to President Bush that he consider Miers for the position.
The Connecticut delegation has been more reserved in their initial reactions.
“Before this morning I knew nothing about Harriet Miers except her name and title,” Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said in a press release. “So I have a lot to learn before deciding whether or not to ‘advise and consent’ to her nomination to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court.”
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., echoed similar sentiments. “Justice O’Connor was an independent, intelligent and fair jurist and the person who replaces her will play an important role in shaping the direction of the Supreme Court for years to come,” he said in a press release. “I view the vote on a Supreme Court nominee as one of the most important votes I cast as a senator and as always will carefully examine Harriet Miers’ background and temperament to determine whether she’s qualified to serve on the highest court in the land.”
Everyone seems to agree on one point: Miers is a remarkably accomplished individual. Friends and colleagues say she is a hard-worker and dedicated advocate. Blazing a trail for women in law, she helped crack open the male-dominated legal system in Texas, becoming the first woman to preside over the Texas bar association.
Miers and President Bush go way back. The relationship began when she served on his staff during his bid for Texas governor. She was his appointee to the Texas State Lottery Commission, then joined him in Washington, first as White House staff secretary, then as a deputy White House chief of staff and most recently as White House counsel.
Before signing on to Bush’s team, Miers worked for a large Texas law firm, and was a Dallas city councilwoman. She received both her undergraduate and law degrees from Southern Methodist University.
If Miers joins the court, she will be the only current justice who has not served on a federal appeals court. But some of the most influential Supreme Court justices had no prior judicial experience either: John Marshall, Earl Warren, Louis D. Brandeis, Robert H. Jackson, Felix Frankfurter and William H. Rehnquist.
