Reagan Nominating Woman, An Arizona Appeals Judge, To Serve On Supreme Court

REACTION IS MIXED
Senate Seems Favorable but Opposition Arises on Abortion Stands

WASHINGTON, July 7 – President Reagan announced today that he would nominate Sandra Day O’Connor, a 51-year-old judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals, to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would become the first woman to serve on the Court.
”She is truly a ‘person for all seasons,’ ” Mr. Reagan said this morning, ”possessing those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual Remarks on Court post, page A12. capacity and devotion to the public good which have characterized the 101 ‘brethren’ who have preceded her.”
White House and Justice Department officials expressed confidence that Judge O’Connor’s views were compatible with those espoused over the years by Mr. Reagan, who has been highly critical of some past Supreme Court decisions on the rights of defendants, busing, abortion and other matters.
Some Quick Opposition
From the initial reaction in the Senate, it appeared her nomination would be approved. However, her record of favoring the proposed Federal equal rights amendment and having sided once against antiabortion interests while she was a legislator provoked immediate opposition to her confirmation by the National Right to Life Committee, Moral Majority and other groups opposed to abortion.
At a brief news conference in Phoenix, Judge O’Connor declined to explain her views, saying that she intended to leave such matters to her confirmation hearings before