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Senate panel backs O’Connor 17-0

September 16, 1981

ITEM DETAILS

Type: Newspaper article
Author: Associated Press
Source: Arizona Daily Star Tucson
Collection: The Kauffman-Henry Collection
Date is approximate: No

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Confirmation virtually assured

…

provide any legal opinion regarding the 1973 decision.

East said hearing O’Connor express personal support for the death penalty and opposition to busing for racial desegregation convinced him that. “we have found a conservative woman of conservative instincts.” He said he also voted for O’Connor “because she is a nominee of Ronald Reagan …. I suspect he knows things that I don’t know.” Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. the committee chairman, said O’Connor had demonstrated during her testimony all of the “good qualities” needed to become a good Supreme Court justice . Though the Judiciary Committee represents a broad spectrum of political opinion, O’Connor drew general praise from liberals and conservatives alike. But Denton said abortion is such an important issue that there was nothing wrong with making it the lone criteria in deciding whether to confirm O’Connor.

During last week’s hearings, the nominee said that she did not want to prejudice any rulings she might make on the court, and so gave the committee little insight as to how she might vote on specific issues likely to reach the nine justices.

As a result, Denton said, “I know very little about Judge O’Connor’s opinions on the great legal issues of the day.” If he had become convinced O’Connor supported the court’s 1973 abortion ruling, Denton said he would have voted against her confirmation. Without some firm idea of how she might vote if the issue reaches the court again, he

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