Bush Taps Miers For Supremes.

The AP is reporting that Harriet Meirs will be Bush's next nominee for Supreme Court Associate Justice. Meirs was previously White House Counsel.

Here is some background:

we don’t have a strong pro-lifer in Miers. She’s in the context of Karen Hughes and Condoleeza Rice. They are not ardent pro-lifer endorsers.

Miers is White House counsel. She was the first woman to be a partner at a prestigious Texas law firm. She also became the first woman as president of the State Bar of Texas. Further, Ms. Miers was personal lawyer to Mr. Bush.

According to the New York Times, September 29, 2005: "In 1995, Mr. Bush, then governor of Texas, named her chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission and gave her the task of cleaning up that scandal-plagued agency. Ms. Miers has never been a judge, although that is not a requirement for a Supreme Court justice."

Like Karen Hughes, Miers has been close to Bush for years. It will be interesting how the left and right come down on this nominee. Get ready for an avalanche of background articles.

UPDATE: Who is Harriet Miers?

Born and raised in Dallas, Miers earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics and her law degree from Southern Methodist University. In addition to her legal career, she served one term on the Dallas City Council.

Miers, 60, broke barriers for women throughout her career. She reportedly was the first woman hired by the prestigious Dallas law firm Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely, where she became a successful commercial litigator. She also became the first female president of the Dallas Bar Association in 1985 and was the first woman elected president of the Texas Bar Association in 1992.

Miers met Bush in the 1980s, according to published reports, and she was counsel for his 1994 campaign for governor. He appointed her chair of the Texas Lottery Commission in 1995.

Miers then was president of Locke, Purnell, Rain & Harrell and co-managing partner of Locke Liddell & Sapp before she joined the White House in 2001.

Meirs has never been a judge, so there might just be more of the "what do you mean by that" stuff that Roberts endured.

This is an interesting choice, it seems. Very close to Bush, Meirs has been described by the president as a "trusted adviser" who, when it comes to cross-examination, "can filet better than Mrs. Paul."

News accounts are calling her, "tough," "thorough-minded," "soft-spoken" and "single."

Get ready for some wanker at DKos to start speculating about Miers' sexual preference. You heard it here first.

Miers has been named by some Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, as a pick that they could approve.  Is this another Bush rope-a-dope?

 

Comments

[Jack]

The Bull Moose apparently feels the choice is at least in part more cronyism.

I'm finding it difficult to disagree with that analysis.

[Daniel]

Jack, Jack, Jack.

You're so cynical!

Politicians never, ever hire their good buddies for jobs, do they?

[Daniel]

Note to "Insider:"

If you wish to comment, I suppose you'll come back to look for any responses. If you can tell me why your comment is relevant to this post, I'll reinstate it. Otherwise, you're just spamming.