[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[October 8, 2005]
[Pages 1535-1536]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
October 8, 2005

    Good morning. This week I nominated an exceptional individual to 
replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court of the United States. Harriet 
Miers is a remarkable woman and an 
accomplished attorney. She has wide experience in the courtroom and at 
the highest levels of government, and she will be an outstanding 
addition to our Nation's highest Court.
    Harriet Miers was born and raised in 
Dallas, Texas, where she attended the public schools. When illness 
struck her family, Harriet went to work to help pay for her own college 
education. She stayed close to home in Dallas to attend Southern 
Methodist University and received a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
    She remained at SMU for law school and 
earned a place on the law review. After graduation, she was hired for a 
prestigious 2-year clerkship for a Federal trial judge. From there, she 
went on to an extraordinary career in private practice and public 
service and became a pioneer for women lawyers. She was the first woman 
to be hired at her law firm, the first woman to become president of that 
firm, the first woman to lead a large law firm in the State of Texas, 
the first woman head of the Dallas Bar Association, and the first woman 
elected as president of the State Bar of Texas.
    In her law practice, Ms. Miers handled 
hundreds of cases in State and Federal courts, from massive commercial 
litigation to criminal cases to civil disputes. She served in local 
government on the Dallas City Council and later held office in State 
government as well.
    As Ms. Miers rose through the legal 
ranks, she also put in long hours of volunteer legal work on behalf of 
the poor and underprivileged, and served as a leader for more than a 
dozen community groups and charities. Beginning in the 1990s, Harriet 
Miers was regularly rated one of the top 100 lawyers in America and one 
of the top 50 women lawyers in the country.
    Because of her skill and record of remarkable achievement, in 2001, 
I asked her to work in my administration. 
For the past 5 years, Harriet Miers has served our Nation in critical 
roles, including White House Counsel, one of the most important legal 
positions in the country. As counsel, Ms. Miers addresses complex 
matters of constitutional law, serves as the chief legal advisor during 
regular meetings of the National Security Council, and handles sensitive 
issues of executive-congressional relations, among many other essential 
duties. She has led the effort to help nominate outstanding judges for 
the Federal judiciary. She was in charge of the process that

[[Page 1536]]

resulted in the appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts.
    Harriet Miers would come to the Supreme 
Court with a background in private practice and high-government service, 
and this puts her in strong company. Indeed, since 1933, 10 of the 34 
Justices came to the Supreme Court directly from positions in the 
executive branch, such as the one Ms. Miers now holds. And no Supreme 
Court nominee in the last 35 years has exceeded Harriet Miers's overall 
range of experience in courtroom litigation; service in Federal, State, 
and local government; leadership in local, State, and national bar 
associations; and pro bono and charitable activities.
    Throughout her life, Ms. Miers has excelled at everything she has done. She's been a leader and a trailblazer 
for women lawyers, and her work has earned the respect of attorneys 
across the Nation. I chose Harriet Miers for the Court both because of 
her accomplishments and because I know her character and her judicial 
philosophy. Harriet Miers will be the type of judge I said I would 
nominate, a good, conservative judge.
    She shares my belief that judges should strictly interpret the 
Constitution and laws, not legislate from the bench. She understands 
that the role of a judge is to interpret the text of the Constitution 
and statutes as written, not as he or she might wish they were written. 
And she knows that judges should have a restrained and modest role in 
our constitutional democracy. Like Justice William Rehnquist and Justice 
Byron White, who were also nominated to the Supreme Court directly from 
legal positions in the executive branch, Harriet Miers will be prudent in exercising judicial power and firm in 
defending judicial independence.
    When she goes before the Senate, I am 
confident that all Americans will see what I see every day: Harriet 
Miers is a woman of intelligence, strength, and conviction. And when she 
is confirmed by the Senate, I am confident that she will leave a lasting 
mark on the Supreme Court and will be a Justice who makes all Americans 
proud.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:35 a.m. on October 7 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 8. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
October 7 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.