Harriet Miers: Latest Bu$h Judicial Shill...

Profile: Harriet Miers
White House counsel Harriet Miers has been a trusted adviser to US President George Bush since the 1980s.

The two met in Texas, where she was his personal lawyer, then served on his gubernatorial campaign in 1994 and again during his presidential election of 2000.

Officially described as deputy chief of staff for policy, Harriet Miers, 60, has been serving as President Bush's top legal counsel since November 2004.

At the time of her appointment, Mr Bush said he relied on her for "straightforward advice".

If confirmed as the president's choice for the Supreme Court vacancy, Miss Miers would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the nation's highest court.

'Dedicated'

Miss Miers has never served on the bench, which means observers have found it difficult to predict whether her nomination would dramatically move the court to the right.

Before her nomination, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told the Associated Press news agency that Democratic and Republican senators had recommended Miss Miers as a possible nominee.

Friends and colleagues describe the single woman as assertive and ambitious, whilst being discreet and selfless.

"She is defined by hard work, dedication and client loyalty," says Jerry Clements, partner at the Locke Liddell & Sapp firm of lawyer in Texas where she worked before moving to Washington DC.

And her hard work appears to have paid off - not only in mounting the echelons of power but also in overcoming gender-based bias.

"She just overcame any obstacles with hard work and dedication," said Mr Clements.

She became the first woman hired by Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely - an old Dallas legal firm.

In 1992, Miss Miers became the first woman president of the Texas State Bar, having become the first woman president of the Dallas Bar Association in 1985.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4304826.stm

Published: 2005/10/03 12:14:17 GMT

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