CBS News: Face the Nation Supreme Court Nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Myers

The recent nomination of Harriet Myers for a Supreme Court Seat has not liberals and moderates ruffled, but the conservatives scratching their chins about the candidate choice. Many oppose or question Bush’s choice because it has no apparent reasoning or justification. Conservatives try to uphold the Supreme Court by enforcing the laws, courts, and Constitution. To nominate a candidate that had never sat on any bench is seemingly unorthodox. According to Senator Sam Brownback, when selecting a judicial nominee many look at the person’s judicial philosophy to determine if they support or oppose the nomination, however, Myers philosophy doesn’t exist. Although she is given a great deal of credit for overcoming tremendous obstacles and heading a major law firm in Texas, without a track record of case decisions to go by, it is hard for the American people to back this nomination, including the conservatives themselves, who usually support President Bush.
Senator Charles Schumer adds to the debate that another aspect that may not be adding to Myers credibility as a prospective judge is the fact that James Dobson has told colleagues that private discussions have led him to believe that, if confirmed, Myers will rule the right way. From that, several concerns arise. One is, what is the “right way” that we should be expecting from a Supreme Court judge? Is this the ‘right way’ deemed so by the Constitution or the ‘right way’ deemed so by the conservatives and the supporters of Bush. An additional concern is that Dobson claims that he cannot discuss the detail of these “private assurances,” including what was said and who said it. These comments no further assure the American People than the non-existent judicial philosophy of Myers herself. All in all, it adds up to a very unconvincing case for Myers and not taking away from her status as an accomplished attorney, it definitely doesn’t add to her potential as a Supreme Court Judge.

By Tiffany N. Benson
Communications Law Student