Judge O’Connor wins Senate panel support

WASHINGTON-The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17 to O Tuesday to support confirmation of Judge Sandra Day O’Connor, virtually guaranteeing smooth passage through the full Senate for President Reagan’s first Supreme Court appointment. The vote may represent a turning toint in the politics of abortion: Not one of four antiabortion New Right senators on the committee voted against Judge O’Connor despite the continued opposition to the nomination by the antiabortion movement. One of the four, Sen. Jeremiah Denton, R-Ala., abstained. The vote also represented a tribute to Reagan’s strength. Two of the antiabortion senators, John P. East, R-N.C., and Charles E. Grassley, RIowa, said they still had questions about Judge O’Connor’s stand on abortion but were swayed in part by loyalty to the President. Judge O’Connor’s name is expected to go Friday to the Senate floor, where an equally overwhelming vote for confirmation is expected. Her swearing-in is scheduled for Sept. 25. Tuesday’s committee’s action was never in doubt, but the degree of unanimity was. East, Grassley, and Denton, who have built their reputations on opposition to abortion, complained repeatedly during the confirmation hearings about Judge O’Connor’s unwillingness to be specific on how she viewed the Supreme Court’s 1973 legalization of abortion. They repeated those complaints Tuesday, but East and Grassley then voted for her and Denton responded “present” when his name was called. Grassley said he was convinced by