Posted on 10/06/2005 7:15:47 PM PDT by jdhljc169
Today's Chronicle of Higher Education has a story that describes Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' involvement with a lecture series at her alma mater, SMU Law School. The inaugural lecturer? Gloria Steinem. I've played these games in law schools, and this story sends up red flags for me. Here's my take on it ...
I was reserving judgment, but after having read the Chronicle article (and given conservatives' skittishness about her already), I think she's a non-starter. Miers may be a very nice person - and by all accounts she is. But she has never served as a judge, and while I do not think that an attorney must have been a judge in order to be an excellent justice, I do think that if you want to be certain of a nominee's views on the proper role of the judiciary, you better have seen them in action as a judge.
We haven't. And absent that, we must look to other events in Miers' professional life to ascertain her perspective. To that end, the Chronicle article is instructive:
In the late 1990s, as a member of the advisory board for Southern Methodist University's law school, Ms. Miers pushed for the creation of an endowed lecture series in women's studies named for Louise B. Raggio, one of the first women to rise to prominence in the Texas legal community ...Ms. Miers, whom President Bush announced on Monday as his choice to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, not only advocated for the lecture series, but also gave money and solicited donations to help get it off the ground ... A feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, delivered the series's first lecture, in 1998. In the following two years, the speakers were Patricia S. Schroeder, the former Democratic congresswoman widely associated with women's causes, and Susan Faludi, the author of Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women (1991). Ann W. Richards, the Democrat whom George W. Bush unseated as governor of Texas in 1994, delivered the lecture in 2003.
Having served on the faculties of three law schools, I can tell you that if you are an academic of the conservative political persuasion, this is the way you play the game: you call things by the terms the liberal academic establishment uses ("Gender Studies," "Women's Studies," etc.) and then you bring in lecturers and provide content that challenges their prevailing "wisdom."
There must be dozens -- hundreds -- thousands -- of conservative female attorneys, politicians, pundits and successful business owners in this country who would be wonderful role models for female SMU law students. If Miers pushed for the creation of a lecture series to honor Texas' first and finest female attorneys, and the series brought in the likes of Steinem and Faludi, then I know as much as I need to know about this woman.
Stick a fork in her. She's done.
If she was active in the pro-life movement, why would she pick him? His pro-Roe vote has to be one of the most well-known events of his tenure, if not the most well-known.
***
Besides that, she said Warren. How many people call justices by their first name. I never say Antonin, I always say Scalia.
But she did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Problem is that if he explains his strategy (or strategery, if you like) to us, he's also explaining it to the Democrats.
You think Bush should nominate Kerry? ;-)
Exactly. Excellent.
check, please.
Who refers to Burger as "Warren?" I call Barbra Streisand.
JRB, Priscilla Owen, Edith Jones, etc. I found plenty.
A young 60???? Shelooks like she is 75!
Who is LOUISE B. RAGGIO? Divorce lawyer?
LOUISE B. RAGGIO
Attorney in private practice with Raggio and Raggio since 1956. (Members of the firm include three lawyer sons: Grier H. Jr., Thomas L. and Kenneth G.)
Graduated from University of Texas at Austin with highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa; Graduate work at American University in Washington, D.C. under Rockefeller Fellowship; Southern Methodist University, J.D., 1952. Assistant District Attorney of Dallas County 1954-56.
Past Chairman of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association 1975-76. Drafting Committee for ABA Committee on Uniform Marriage and Divorce Laws 1969-73. Governor of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 1973-81. Trustee of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation 1991-94. Trustee, National Conference of Bar Foundations 1986-92.
Past Chairman of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas 1965-67 and Drafting Committee for Family Code 1966-75.
Director, State Bar of Texas 1979-82. First woman ever elected as a Director in the 100 year history of the Texas Bar. Trustee, Texas Bar Foundation 1982-86 and Chairman of the Board 1984-85; Chairman, Capital Fund Drive 1986-87. First woman ever elected Trustee. Chair Fellows of Texas Bar Foundation 1993-94.
Recipient of professional awards: State Bar of Texas Citation of Merit for Family Code 1967; State Bar of Texas Presidents' Award as outstanding lawyer of year 1987; SMU Distinguished Law Alumni Award 1992; State Bar of Texas Sarah T. Hughes outstanding attorney award 1993; Dallas Bar Association First Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award 1993; Dallas Bar Foundation Distinguished Career Award 1997; Texas Bar Foundation Ethics & Professionalism Award 1997; North Texas Legal Services Equal Justice Award 1997; Honorary LL.D. from Southern Methodist University 1996.
Life Fellow of American Bar Foundation, Dallas Bar Foundation and Fellow Emeritus Texas Bar Foundation.
Texas Women's Hall of Fame inductee (Legal Category) 1985.
Recipient of various awards such as Zonta Award for community service 1970; SMU Alumni Award 1972; Extra Mile Award for leadership in law reform affecting women 1974; Women's Center Award 1979; Texas Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs Woman of the Year 1985; International Women's Forum "Woman That Has Made a Difference" Award 1990; National Business Women Owners Association Award 1994; American Civil Liberties Union Thomas Jefferson award 1994; Girls, Inc. Award 1995; North Texas Association of Women Journalists Courage award 1995; Texas Trailblazer Award 1996; Austin Texas High School Distinguished Alumni Award 1998; Veteran Feminist of America Award 1999
Margaret Brent Outstanding Woman Lawyer award from American Bar Association 1995.
Dallas Women Lawyers and National Business Women Owners Association each have established "Louise B. Raggio" awards given annually to outstanding women. Southern Methodist University has an annual "Louise Ballerstedt Raggio Lecture" series.
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America and various law lists for many years.
Listed in Who's Who in America for many years.
So, Miers and Leahy had this chat in 1985/86?
How stupid was she not to realize yappy women would benefit from this program she wanted set up?
several people with knowledge of the exchange
They're quoting unnamed people who presumably got the information they're passing on from Leahy.
I'm happy that you are amazed. That way every day is a new day.
Top level executives have as much practice in that sort of thing as any lawyer. Plus, they've been making a myriad of real-life decisions every day for years and years as they moved up the ladder.
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