Harriet Miers
…is a much harder name to spell correctly than John Roberts. And in case you haven’t turned on a TV or browsed a news site yet today, she’s also President Bush’s pick to replace retiring Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor. If your initial reaction is “who?” you’re not alone.
David Bernstein at the Volokh Conspiracy knows as much about Miers as I do. Next to nothing. Though he does speculate that Roberts and Miers were chosen to uphold what Bush considers his primary legacy: the War on Terror.
Baylen Linnekin at The Agitator points out that Miers is in favor of No Child Left Behind and (certainly to Zach Wendling’s dismay) Daylight Savings Time.
The discussion at National Review’s The Corner is worth keeping an eye on. Cornerites have uncovered some interesting political donations made by Miers, including $1000 to the DNC and $1000 to the Al Gore for President Committee in the 1988 election cycle.
9 Responses to “Harriet Miers”
Good links. Initial research suggests her confirmation may not be as tough as initially predicted. Miers was recommended by Senate Minority Leader Herry Reid (D-NV) as a possible pick, and although these donation mentioned at NRO were likely part of typical law firm donations, it may still help subdue partisan attacks.
The big question on many people’s mind, of course, is what is her position on abortion?
Just a minor correction — Miers’ donation to Gore came in the 1988 election cycle, not 1998.
Thanks for catching that typo. I’ve corrected it.
The president nominates a long time friend who he trusts on a personal level to the Supreme Court. Could this have anything to do with Joshua Claybourn’s post below, “White House Involved?”
Have you considered that she might be a sacrificial Bjork? Since the Dems may feel they have to pull together to oppose the next nominee and her record doesn’t make her really worth fighting for.
dlw
When the Senate Minority leader may have passed along the name to Bush as a person to consider, and he’s saying things like this, it sure doesn’t seem like the Dems would be coming together for a fight on this one.
A friend asked me if Bush would betray the conservative movement with his next SCOTUS nominee. My response was, “I think he’ll do the right thing.” I’m eating my words a bit this morning.
Harriet Miers seems to be well qualified and experienced. She has many advancements as a female lawyer in a state (Texas) dominated by the male personna–excepting Ann Richards, and we all know what a wonderful thing that was for the Lone Star State.
While reading through the RNC talking points email today, I was struck by the repeated references to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the similarities draw between Miers and her. Especially this one,
It is evident that this choice was strongly influenced by a fear of two things:
How sad.
Maybe I am wrong and she is a star, but I doubt it at this point. Will she be bad? Who knows. One thing is for sure, it is likely we won’t get any worse than O’Connor. It just seems likely we won’t get much better. And the one who said in 2004, “I want Justices who have the temperment of Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia,” in an attempt to drum up the conservative base in a tough election seems to have buckled under the pressure of falling poll numbers in the aftermath of Katrina.
Via: http://www.spectator.org/blogger_comments.asp?BlogID=133
“Just spoke with a staffer for a conservative member of the Judiciary Committee whose boss  is extremely unhappy about the nomination of Harriet Miers.ÂÂ
“We heard her name. We made it clear that she was unacceptable as a nominee on the basis of qualifications and her views, which we simply don’t know anything about,” says the staffer. “We worked with her on policy issues, though, before she was elevated to White House counsel and let’s just say we were underwhelmed.”
There is now talk of among some conservatives about a filibuster of the Miers nomination. Never mind the Al Gore donations or the money that was floated to the DNC when Miers was a managing partner in a law firm, those can be explained away as ‘good for the business of the firm.’
Unfortunately, given the level of support Miers appears to be generating among Democrats, such a move appears impossible, though admirable.”
Perhaps this will initiate the divorce of the Republican Party and the Christian right. Good riddance, I say, and three cheers for pragmatic, George Will-style conservatism. With its exodus from the Republican Party, the Christian right will go to its rightful place in the political wilderness and, ultimately, the dustbin of history.
So one hopes. The prospect of a wingnut filibuster, however, is priceless.