A new nominee.

On October 3, the U.S. Supreme Court opened its annual session with more than the usual fanfare. John Roberts, confirmed by the Senate last month to succeed the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, presided over the nation's highest court for the first time. Earlier that day, President George W. Bush had announced the nomination of Harriet E. Miers (MY-urs) to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring.

Miers, 60, has worked closely with President Bush since he ran for Governor of Texas in 1993. Her present job is White House Counsel, chief legal adviser to the President. With years of experience as a top lawyer in Texas, Miers is known as smart, hard-working, and loyal.

Miers has never been a judge, so she has no "paper trail" of legal writings. This worries both conservative and liberal Americans, who want to know her opinions on issues that may come before the Court. Some conservative commentators called for Miers to step aside. They said that the President had not chosen a strongly conservative nominee in order to avoid conflict with Democrats.

Most Republican and Democratic Senators were cautious in their first comments about Miers. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nevada) surprised some of his fellow Democrats by calling Miers a "very fine lawyer." Reid stopped short of saying that he would vote for her.

If confirmed by the Senate, Miers would be only the third woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Like O'Connor, she has opened doors for women in the legal profession. She may--also like O'Connor--turn out to play a key role as the swing vote (one who casts the deciding vote) on the Court.