Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers met tonight with U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, the second of two meetings this week between Miers and Colorado senators who will vote on her nomination.
Miers and Salazar, D-Colo., met for almost an hour at the senator’s office near the Capitol.
“Ms. Miers and I discussed her personal and legal background,” Salazar said in a statement issued after the meeting.
He added, “I have not made a decision yet as to Ms. Miers’ nomination. I await with great interest the information that will come forward in the Judiciary Committee’s hearings … as they conduct a full, fair and proper review of her record. I will make my decision on her nomination only after that information is available and I have completed my own study. I will then perform my Constitutional duty in casting my vote.”
Wednesday, Salazar told reporters he planned to seek Miers’ assurance that previous court decisions on social issues like Roe v. Wade are the law of the land and should not be overturned.
While views on abortion should not be a litmus test for a Supreme Court seat, Salazar said Wednesday, he needs to know that Miers won’t seek to reverse previous decisions.
“What I’m going to be looking for is someone who’s going to respect the precedent, which is a very important cornerstone of the independence of the judiciary,” Salazar said. That would mean court decisions not just on abortion but on civil rights issues and equity for women, the Democrat said.
Senate hearings on Miers’ nomination are scheduled to begin Nov. 7.
Neither Salazar nor Colorado’s Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, who met with the nominee Tuesday, has announced how he’ll vote on Miers. Both senators voted to confirm President Bush’s previous Supreme Court pick, Chief Justice John Roberts.
Many conservatives have attacked Miers, questioning whether she is conservative enough. At the same time, questionnaires she filled out in 1989 when running for the Dallas City Council have others worried that she opposes abortion and would try to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling recognizing national abortion rights.
Salazar criticized those who had been talking about Miers’ religious beliefs, saying they shouldn’t be considered in evaluating her qualifications.
This online report is based on reporting by Denver Post staff writer Anne C. Mulkern.
