There are a couple of questions the Judge will have to answer

Washington Judge Sandra O’Connor, President Reagan’s favorite nominee at this point, privately explained her views to key senators this week, particularly those on abortion. That’s good. Judge O’Connor’s reputation for integrity will only be strengthened after she clarifies her record and views on this controversial question. Last week, I criticized those in the Pro-Life and Moral Majority movements who used extravagant rhetoric to denounce Judge O’Connor’s record. At that point, I had no evidence that she deserved to be excoriated in such fashion. I still support the O’Connor nomination, and also urge those in the Pro-Life movement to be more measured in their estimate of Judge O’Connor. I also agree with ProLifers who raise two questions about her record. On this score, I am more interested in how she answers these questions than in her pro- or antiabortion “record.” The first concerns a memo prepared in the Justice Department for the attorney general in response to early criticism of O’Connor by ProLifers. The memo, written by Counselor Kenneth W. Starr, reports that Judge O’Connor indicated 11that she has no recollection of how she voted” in 1970 as a member of the Arizona State Judiciary Committee on a bill to remove all legal sanctions on abortion in that state. The committee majority favored the bill, though the vote was not recorded. But a reporter for The Arizona Republic was present, and his published story listed Sandra O’Connor as voting for the bill to legalize abortion.