Harriet Miers Withdraws

Lambda Legal Education and Public Affairs Director Michael Adams made the following statement concerning the withdrawn nomination of Harriet Miers to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor:

“Harriet Miers faced right-wing criticism on social issues. But what made her especially vulnerable was not principally that, but was the combination of her lack of judicial experience and her extraordinarily close connection to President Bush, which led to the repeated suggestions that she was nominated based on ‘cronyism’ rather than her qualifications. Would she have been an independent and effective jurist? We’ll never know.

“We firmly believe that a commitment to equality and fairness for all Americans is a core qualification for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. We are confident that a nominee who is committed to those values will be confirmed if otherwise qualified.”