Deb Riechmann

July 20, 2005 | National Law Journal

President Bush chose D.C. Circuit Judge John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday as his first nominee for the Supreme Court, delighting Republicans while unsettling some Democrats with the selection of a young jurist with impeccable conservative credentials. A senior administration official who gave details of the selection said Bush did not ask Roberts any questions about abortion, gay marriage or other specific issues that might come before the Court. Senate hearings are likely in late August or early September.

By Deb Riechmann

7 minute read

January 31, 2007 | National Law Journal

Conservatives and liberals alike battered White House counsel Harriet Miers during her 24-day rise and fall as a Supreme Court nominee. Now, preparing to leave the White House more than a year after the ordeal, Miers says she doesn't regret the experience. In an interview in her West Wing office, Miers said that though "there were some ugly -- I thought unjustified -- comments" during her nomination process, there were also "many, many wonderful aspects of the experience."

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

July 19, 2005 | Law.com

President Bush said Monday he would move swiftly to fill a Supreme Court opening, while GOP strategists said he is focusing on female candidates and is very close to a decision. Bush said he is still evaluating prospects but wants the Senate to complete hearings so a new justice will be on the Court when it starts its fall session. Among new names in speculation: Michigan Supreme Court Judge Maura Corrigan, Florida federal Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga and Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon.

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

September 29, 2005 | National Law Journal

President Bush, nearing the end of his search for a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has whittled his list to a handful of candidates and could announce his decision by week's end. Bush hinted this week that he might choose a woman or minority member, but some outside advisers were intrigued by his other comment that he had interviewed and considered people from "all walks of life."

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

July 20, 2005 | The Legal Intelligencer

President Bush chose federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. last night as his first nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, selecting a rock-solid conservative whose nomination could trigger a tumultuous battle over the direction of the nation's highest court, senior administration officials said.

By DEB RIECHMANN

3 minute read

July 29, 2008 | Law.com

President Bush approved the execution of an Army private, the first time in over a half-century that a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military. Ronald A. Gray was convicted in connection with a spree of four murders and eight rapes in the Fayetteville, N.C., area over eight months in the late 1980s while stationed at Fort Bragg, and has been on death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since April 1988.

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

December 27, 2004 | Law.com

Revisiting one of the most contentious issues of his first term, President Bush plans to nominate for a second time 20 people who did not get up or down votes on their nominations for federal judgeships. In response, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist issued a statement pressing moderate GOP Sen. Arlen Specter to support the president's nominees. For their part, Democrats reacted to the White House announcement with irritation, referring to the nominees as "extremists."

By Deb Riechmann

5 minute read

September 16, 2007 | Law.com

President Bush has settled on Michael B. Mukasey, a retired federal judge from New York, to replace Alberto Gonzales as attorney general and will announce his selection Monday, a source familiar with the president's decision said Sunday evening. Some legal conservatives and Republican activists have expressed reservations about Mukasey's legal record and past endorsements from liberals, and are already drafting a strategy to oppose his confirmation.

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

January 31, 2007 | Law.com

Conservatives and liberals alike battered White House counsel Harriet Miers during her 24-day rise and fall as a Supreme Court nominee. Now, preparing to leave the White House more than a year after the ordeal, Miers says she doesn't regret the experience. In an interview in her West Wing office, Miers said that though "there were some ugly -- I thought unjustified -- comments" during her nomination process, there were also "many, many wonderful aspects of the experience."

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read

October 12, 2005 | Law.com

While Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter announced Tuesday that questions for Harriet Miers' confirmation hearing will likely focus on her approach to constitutional issues, President Bush and the first lady offered a joint defense of the Supreme Court nominee in a bid to appease conservative supporters. Meanwhile, a new poll shows the public appears more concerned about Miers' close ties to the president and her lack of judicial experience than any ideological effect she would have on the Court.

By Deb Riechmann

4 minute read