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TechnographColumn: Miers: a Souter in making?
By Shouger Merchant
Posted: 10/19/05 Section: Opinions
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But Bush's elusive appointments this year are causes for concern. Roberts seemed like a stellar candidate with an impressive knowledge of Supreme Court precedents, but some conservatives and most liberals were mad at his appointment because his judicial opinions didn't tell us much. There is even less material to scrutinize in Miers' case, since she has never been a judge. But why would Bush nominate someone who has not shown him privately or publicly that he or she will definitely be a strict constructionist especially in the case of Roe v. Wade, assuming that is his operating litmus test?
If Bush hasn't indeed discussed abortion with Miers, he is taking it for granted that Miers is pro-life because Miers comes from a church that is extremely pro-life. If she is given the chance to decide whether the precedent of Roe v. Wade should stand, she would probably go the Thomas, Scalia and Rehnquist route and vote to strike it down. In the same vein, Bush must have had some indication that Roberts would act in the same way.
Still, I think Miers might actually be a pleasant surprise to liberals on issues other than abortion, given her history of supporting gay rights and adoption (as liberal as you can get). Although Miers' pro-life stance upsets me a great deal, I earnestly believe that Miers will eventually see the light, like those before her. If she can put all political leanings and party loyalty aside and do what is best for this country, she will be called a Souter. And Souter's rulings were remarkable exercises of justice. All we can really do now is hope that Miers restores balance on the bench and ensures the upright democratic and due legal process.
Shouger Merchant is a senior in Communications. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at opinions@dailyillini.com.
If Bush hasn't indeed discussed abortion with Miers, he is taking it for granted that Miers is pro-life because Miers comes from a church that is extremely pro-life. If she is given the chance to decide whether the precedent of Roe v. Wade should stand, she would probably go the Thomas, Scalia and Rehnquist route and vote to strike it down. In the same vein, Bush must have had some indication that Roberts would act in the same way.
Still, I think Miers might actually be a pleasant surprise to liberals on issues other than abortion, given her history of supporting gay rights and adoption (as liberal as you can get). Although Miers' pro-life stance upsets me a great deal, I earnestly believe that Miers will eventually see the light, like those before her. If she can put all political leanings and party loyalty aside and do what is best for this country, she will be called a Souter. And Souter's rulings were remarkable exercises of justice. All we can really do now is hope that Miers restores balance on the bench and ensures the upright democratic and due legal process.
Shouger Merchant is a senior in Communications. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at opinions@dailyillini.com.
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