Judge O’Connor Makes Courtesy Call on Capitol

Sandra Day O’Connor sat down between Senators Howard H. Baker Jr. and Robert C. Byrd this afternoon and immediately scored a political point.

“Senator Byrd,” Judge O’Connor said, addressing the minority leader, a man who considers himself an authority on the Senate, “tell me a little about the history of this great institution.”

Senator Baker, the majority leader, broke into laughter, saying, “Judge, you don’t know what you’ve just asked!” Senator Byrd just smiled. Then he congratulated Judge O’Connor, not on her nomination to the Supreme Court but on her confirmation by the Senate, “which I feel will be forthcoming.”

The Courtesy Ritual

In her first afternoon on Capitol Hill, Judge O’Connor, who if confirmed would be the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, proved herself particularly adept at a peculiar Washington ritual: the courtesy call.

This is the custom that requires nominees of the executive and judicial branches to travel to Capitol Hill to woo members of the legislative branch, particularly those who sit on pertinent committees. It is a time for smiles and handshakes, not for substantive discussions.

“It’s going just fine, thank you,” Judge O’Connor, of the Arizona Court of Appeals, said as she breezed down a Capitol hallway this afternoon, her heels clicking on the marble floor. On her right was William French Smith, the Attorney General. On her left was Senator Baker.

Also accompanied by a mob of photographers and reporters, Judge O’Connor visited, among