2008 Woodie Awards
Harriet Miers Nominated to Supreme Court
White House Counsel Harriet Ellan Miers nominated to Supreme Court.
Lori Lipkin
Issue date: 10/14/05 Section: News
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Bush believes that Harriet will bring a distinctive perspective to the high court and that the law and the Constitution will guide her judicial values. "It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the Founders' vision of the proper role of the courts in our society," Miers 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."
Recent polls indicate that most people do not know enough about Miers to develop an opinion. Most know that Miers has never served as a judge and has never argued a case before the Supreme Court. Her views on current issues and on Constitutional law are largely unknown.
Bush argued that Miers' lack of judicial experience was a positive trait, allowing her to bring a new perspective to the court and is asking the Senate to confirm the appointment by Thanksgiving. But Senate Democrats were calling for a thorough examination of her views and for a release of her records as White House counsel, which she has served since Feb. 2005. "The record we have so far is simply insufficient to assess the qualifications of this nominee," said Senator Kennedy.
Present and past colleagues and friends believe that she will not allow personal beliefs to sway her judgments in the high court, that her experience and professionalism will remain steadfast.
Judge Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court, who has known Miers for 30 years, shared his thoughts, on NBC's The Early Show. "Harriet is very committed to her faith," he said, and from that he believes, "she will be equally committed to the oath taken as judge." Hecht continued with, "She is going to judge cases fairly and is not going to let personal or religious views or any other kind of view influence the decisions in the actual cases." He went on to say that he was confident that Miers is "pro-life" but cannot predict whether she would vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.