Bush picks White House’s Miers for court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Harriet Miers, President George W.
Bush’s choice for the Supreme Court, is a White House insider
with decades of legal experience, but her views on key issues
likely to come before the court are largely unknown.

Miers, 60, provided legal advice to Bush for years. She was
part of the Texas contingent that Bush brought with him to the
White House in 2001 for his first term, and took over as top
legal adviser to the president when her predecessor Alberto
Gonzales became attorney general in February 2005.

“She has devoted her life to the rule of law and the cause
of justice,” Bush said as he announced his choice at the White
House with Miers standing by his side. “She will be an
outstanding addition to the Supreme Court of the United
States.”

Miers, now behind-the-scenes White House counsel, was
picked to replace retiring Sandra Day O’Connor. Miers has never
been a judge, nor, with the exception of a stint on the Dallas
City Council, does she have the political background in elected
office of many non-judges nominated in the past for the high
court.

Her record is less clear than many other nominees who have
a record of court rulings in their past. That could work for
her or against her when she undergoes close scrutiny from the
U.S. Senate, which must approve her nomination.

The lack of judicial experience she has in common with
about a third of former high court justices including the late
Chief Justice William Rehnquist who had not been a judge before
being named to the court by President Richard Nixon. The eight
justices currently on the court were all judges.

Some Democrats were already indicating an extensive and
probing confirmation process in an effort to get a better
picture of her beliefs.

THIRD WOMAN ON COURT

Bush seemed to try to answer any critics by emphasizing her
legal successes. “Over the course of a distinguished legal
career, Harriet has earned the respect and admiration of her
fellow attorneys,” he said.

Reminding that she will replace O’Connor, the first woman
picked for the high court, Bush stressed that as a woman Miers
overcame much in her legal career. Miers would be the third
woman to serve on the court, joining current Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg.

“Harriet became a pioneer in the field of law, breaking
down barriers to women that remain even after a generation —
remain a generation after President Reagan appointed Justice
O’Connor to the Supreme Court,” Bush said.

As White House counsel, Miers’ role is to advise Bush on
legal issues concerning the presidency and the White House.

She is known for paying attention to detail, being
meticulous and organized.

Her office was also responsible for making recommendations
about judicial nominations, coordinating with other attorneys
throughout the administration, and being involved in the
clearance process for nominations.

During Bush’s first term, Miers was White House deputy
chief of staff and staff secretary.

She was once his personal lawyer in Texas and in an
admiring reference to her tenacity, Bush once described her as
a “pit bull in size 6 shoes.”

Miers was chair of the Texas Lottery Commission from 1995
to 2000 while Bush was governor of Texas.

Prior to joining the White House, she was co-managing
partner at the law firm Locke Liddell & Sapp.

She made inroads for women in Texas legal circles —
becoming the first woman elected Texas State Bar president in
1992 and the first woman to become president of the Dallas Bar
Association in 1985.

Miers, a native of Dallas, is single. She received her
undergraduate and law degrees from Southern Methodist
University in Texas, which is also the alma mater of first lady
Laura Bush.