O’Connor reveals few hints about how she’ll vote

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sandra Day O’Connor remains largely a legal puzzle despite three days of Capitol Hill scrutiny. No one, including the Senate Judiciary Committee’s 18 members who are expected to vote Tuesday to approve her nomination to the Supreme Court, can predict with certainty how she will vote as a justice. But last week’s confirmation hearings provided some hints. Mrs. O’Connor, a 51-year-old Arizona appeals court judge who labored in relative obscunty until picked by President Reagan to replace retired Justice Potter Stewart and become the first woman ever on the nation’s highest court, shares the personal views of many conservatives. She finds abortion “repugnant,” thinks it “inappropriate” for women to participate in combat during war time, opposes busing for school integration, favors the death penalty for certain crimes, and believes the courts in some instances may be too soft on criminals. But Mrs. O’Connor repeatedly warned her Senate interrogators about reading too much into her personal views, saying they do not control her judicial votes. For example, when asked about busing to desegregate schools, Mrs. O’Connor voiced general opposition. Busing “can be a very disruptive part of any child’s education,” she said. But at another point, Mrs. O’Connor said federal judges sometimes are justified in ordering drastic steps to remedy “intentional constitutional violations” – the stated basis for such broad desegregation orders. Only on the subject of capital punishment