Is it fair to say that Harriet Meirs was at least as qualified as O'Connor

[LittleClarkie]

for the job of Supreme Court Justice? Any other justices on the court have even less experience than she did or about the same?

[rpannier]

1. No

O'Connor had been elected to the Court in Arizona (I believe it was the Arizona State Supreme Court). She had judicial experience.

[xultar]

Ahhh what?

[Sanity Claws]

2. no

First, O'Connor graduated from Stanford Law School and was on its Law Review. I think she graduated number 2 in her class, right behind Rehnquist. Meirs did not have these academic credentials.
Second, O'Connor had served on a mid-level appellate court in Arizona prior to being nominated to the Sup. Ct.
Third, O'Connor graduated from law school about 15-20 years before Meirs and encountered much more sexism. In fact, after she graduated from Stanford as no. 2 in her class, no one would hire her as a lawyer. O'Connor went very far despite the deep institutional sexism.

[Tony_Illinois]

3. I Think It Is Fair To Say

she was a train wreck. Really she was no more qualified than Ann Coulter. . . Wouldn't that be grand?

[LittleClarkie]

4. I guess I was hoping to make more of a case for her not being

Conservative enough, and that's why the Conservatives derailed her. But both sides seem to agree that she was not qualified, even though our side is trying to sell it as the extreme right wing's doing.

I thought I'd read some pundit somewhere say that Meirs was about as qualified as she needed to be, and so the Conservatives had just hung themselves and could no longer whine about Bork.

[Tony_Illinois]

6. My Understanding

of the Conservative response to her was that she was not, in fact, demonstratively Conservative enough for them. Although she was known to be an evangelical Christian and reliably conservative in her political and social views, the fact that she had not been a judge hurt her candidacy. For this critical seat on the court, the Conservatives want a "sure thing". No guessing or taking chances about what kind of a judge they might get.

Because Judge Alito has a 15-year record on the bench, Conservatives are more comfortable in their belief that he will vote as he has on the Appeals Court. And additionally, he is expected to be the type of judge to sway opinion on the court rather than just take a position and defend it.

[moondust]

5. She was a subterfuge.

Nominating a woman or minority perceived to be unqualified allows them to say "well, we tried" and clears the way for another white male. Of course it was they who also created that perception.

[LittleClarkie]

7. Do you think pretending that the Dems are attacking him for being Italian

is part of pretending that he's some kind of minority. As if Italians are still discrimiated against?