Barbara Lee’s Statement on the Supreme Court Nomination of Harriet Miers
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement today on the nomination of Harriet Miers to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States:
“President Bush selected and the Senate confirmed a true conservative to replace a conservative Chief Justice. Justice O’Connor is an independent and pragmatic conservative, and the Senate must ensure that President Bush is not attempting to shift the court to the right by replacing her with someone committed to a far-right ideology.
“Since she has no judicial experience for the Senate to consider, the burden is significant on Harriet Miers to explain what her judicial philosophy will be and to directly answer questions about whether she shares the commitment to protecting the individual rights and freedoms that Justice O’Connor so often cast the deciding vote to defend. In this regard, it will be incumbent upon her to be more forthcoming about her positions than Judge Roberts was during his confirmation process.”