O’Connor Visits Key Lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) – With a personal hand from Attorney General William French Smith and optimistic predictions from Senate leaders, Sandra Day O’Connor yesterday began a personal campaign to assure her confirmation as the first female Supreme Court justice. O’Connor met for four hours with Smith and other Justice Department officials and then moved on to Capitol Hill for meetings with more than a dozen influential members of the House and Senate. Among them were Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker and Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “A great number of senators have expressed support, some publicly, some privately,” Baker said. “None has expressed opposition.” Later in the week, the Arizona appeals court judge is to meet with conservative senators including Jesse Helms, R-N.C., , ‘ . who have questioned O’Connor s views on legalized abortion. But Baker played down the importance of the issue in the confirmation process, which he said should be over before the Supreme Court begin~ i~ Octobe~ session. “I am convinced this 1s not an issue that should be significant in considering her confirmation,” Baker said. Thurmond, meanwhile, predicted easy confirmation by the Senate, although he advised O’Connor there were some potential votes against her. “She is a very impressive lady, a very intelligent lady,” Thurmond said after a half-hour meeting in his Senate office. “I told her there was some opposition to her.” O’Connor later met with Baker and