Miers works as White House counsel
Quote:
Monday, October 3, 2005; Posted: 9:16 a.m. EDT (13:16 GMT)
Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers for the high court on Monday morning.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers on Monday to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Bush announced his choice in a televised Oval Office event saying, "For the past five years Harriet Miers has served in critical roles in our nation's government."
He called on the Senate to "review her qualifications thoroughly and fairly and to vote on her nomination promptly."
Miers said she was grateful and humbled by the nomination.
"It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the founders' vision of the proper role of the courts in our society," she said.
"If confirmed, I recognize that I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure that the courts meet their obligations to strictly apply the laws and the Constitution." (Watch Bush nominate Miers to the Supreme Court -- 9:09)
If the Senate does confirm Miers, she would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second sitting female justice on the bench. O'Connor became the court's first ever female justice in 1981.
Bush offered her the job Sunday night over dinner in the White House residence, White House sources told CNN's Dana Bash.
During the summer, a separate, private vetting process for Miers took place once the president started seriously considering her.
Bush took seriously suggestions by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, and ranking Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, that the president consider candidates from outside the appeals courts, the sources said.
Miers, 60, who has never been a judge, was the first woman to serve as president of the Texas State Bar and the Dallas Bar Association. She also served on the Dallas City Council. (Profile)
More recently, Miers helped lead the administration's search for potential candidates to fill Supreme Court posts. A White House official said that -- at the same time -- Bush considered her as a nominee without her knowledge.
The choice to replace O'Connor could be pivotal. O'Connor has been a key swing vote and has, for example, voted to strike down abortion laws that failed to contain health exceptions. (Full story)
The announcement came shortly before justices were to begin a new term with new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is the youngest member of the high court.
The term is expected to include rulings on several controversial cases, said Edward Lazarus, a Supreme Court legal analyst. (Case list)
"This is a situation where, from the very moment the justices start back up in October, they're going to be very divided," said Lazarus, who also authored "Closed Chambers," a book on the justices. "It's going to be a lot of friction inside the building."
Roberts was sworn in Thursday, less than four hours after the Senate voted 78-22 to confirm him. He got to work quickly, putting in a full day at the court on Friday. (Related story)
The new chief has a lot of catching up to do, and fast: the court formally begins its work Monday, when oral arguments will be heard for the new term. (Related story)
O'Connor announced her pending retirement last July. Bush initially chose Roberts for her seat, but the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist on September 3 changed the White House's strategy and prolonged the confirmation process.
O'Connor has said she will stay on until she is replaced, making her role in the upcoming term unclear. Under court rules, a justice's vote does not count until a ruling is issued, a process than can take weeks or months. Officials have not said whether O'Connor will be on the bench Monday.
Many legal scholars question whether O'Connor would want to continue hearing cases if her replacement takes over before rulings are issued, thereby negating her vote.
Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers for the high court on Monday morning.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers on Monday to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Bush announced his choice in a televised Oval Office event saying, "For the past five years Harriet Miers has served in critical roles in our nation's government."
He called on the Senate to "review her qualifications thoroughly and fairly and to vote on her nomination promptly."
Miers said she was grateful and humbled by the nomination.
"It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the founders' vision of the proper role of the courts in our society," she said.
"If confirmed, I recognize that I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure that the courts meet their obligations to strictly apply the laws and the Constitution." (Watch Bush nominate Miers to the Supreme Court -- 9:09)
If the Senate does confirm Miers, she would join Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second sitting female justice on the bench. O'Connor became the court's first ever female justice in 1981.
Bush offered her the job Sunday night over dinner in the White House residence, White House sources told CNN's Dana Bash.
During the summer, a separate, private vetting process for Miers took place once the president started seriously considering her.
Bush took seriously suggestions by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, and ranking Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, that the president consider candidates from outside the appeals courts, the sources said.
Miers, 60, who has never been a judge, was the first woman to serve as president of the Texas State Bar and the Dallas Bar Association. She also served on the Dallas City Council. (Profile)
More recently, Miers helped lead the administration's search for potential candidates to fill Supreme Court posts. A White House official said that -- at the same time -- Bush considered her as a nominee without her knowledge.
The choice to replace O'Connor could be pivotal. O'Connor has been a key swing vote and has, for example, voted to strike down abortion laws that failed to contain health exceptions. (Full story)
The announcement came shortly before justices were to begin a new term with new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is the youngest member of the high court.
The term is expected to include rulings on several controversial cases, said Edward Lazarus, a Supreme Court legal analyst. (Case list)
"This is a situation where, from the very moment the justices start back up in October, they're going to be very divided," said Lazarus, who also authored "Closed Chambers," a book on the justices. "It's going to be a lot of friction inside the building."
Roberts was sworn in Thursday, less than four hours after the Senate voted 78-22 to confirm him. He got to work quickly, putting in a full day at the court on Friday. (Related story)
The new chief has a lot of catching up to do, and fast: the court formally begins its work Monday, when oral arguments will be heard for the new term. (Related story)
O'Connor announced her pending retirement last July. Bush initially chose Roberts for her seat, but the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist on September 3 changed the White House's strategy and prolonged the confirmation process.
O'Connor has said she will stay on until she is replaced, making her role in the upcoming term unclear. Under court rules, a justice's vote does not count until a ruling is issued, a process than can take weeks or months. Officials have not said whether O'Connor will be on the bench Monday.
Many legal scholars question whether O'Connor would want to continue hearing cases if her replacement takes over before rulings are issued, thereby negating her vote.
This woman who is being nominated Was Bushes personal lawyer in texas before he was President, and moved up to the Whitehouse to work for him in other roles. She has never been a judge and yet Bush is offering her a nomination to one of the most powerful seats in our judicial system that there is. It seems to be quite the trend with him. Do you think she has a decent chance at being voted into the SC?
