LAT: Interpretations Differ After Talks With Miers (Specter v. WH)

[DeepModem Mom]

Interpretations Differ After Talks With Miers
Specter reports that the high court nominee believes in the right to privacy. But later the White House says he misunderstood her.

By Maura Reynolds and Edwin Chen, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter emerged from a lengthy meeting Monday with Supreme Court nominee Harriet E. Miers saying she told him she believed that the Constitution includes a right to privacy — an account of the meeting that was later disputed.

"She said she believes there is a right to privacy in the Constitution," the Pennsylvania Republican told reporters after a meeting with Miers that lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. He said in particular that she supported the Supreme Court's decisions in Griswold vs. Connecticut and Eisenstadt vs. Baird, two cases that established a right of privacy for married and unmarried couples to use contraception.

The right to privacy enshrined in those cases was the foundation for the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade, which established a woman's right to end a pregnancy. Since then, legal discussions of privacy rights often have served as a proxy for the constitutionality of a right to abortion.

Specter said he considered Miers' comments "relevant but not determinative" of how she might rule on abortion issues should she win confirmation to the high court.

Later Monday evening, White House officials said that Specter had misunderstood Miers and that a statement would be issued....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-miers18oct18,0,3407084.story?coll=la-home-nation

[rodeodance]

1. Specter is being spat on by the WH. Lets see what he does about it.

[HereSince1628]

2. Miers is an idiot. She doesn't even know the RW juducial talking points

If she doesn't get with the program the Republicans will turn her into toast.

[IndianaGreen]

3. I suspect that Miers had no clue what the Griswold landmark decision was!

Miers may have been competent to run the copier machine at a law firm, but when it comes to constitutional law she is totally clueless.

Her nomination should be rejected by the Left and the Right!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. I think she is telling everyone what they want to hear and those

opposed are using it to make the RW shit in their pants and doubt themselves "Who do we believe? Gary Bauer and the judges that were on the right wing briefing call....or Arlen Specter?"

[kskiska]

5. If she speaks the way she writes

I'm not surprised if Specter misunderstood her.

[gWbush is Mabus]

9. privacy is really really cool! I have much respect for privacy!

[johnfunk]

6. Miers Disavows Saying Constitution Protects Privacy

Perhaps the female Uncle Fester lookalike lacks her boss Fredo Bush's knack for "straight talk to the 'Murrican people."

Miers Disavows Saying Constitution Protects Privacy
Update 2
by James Rowley
October 18, 2005 08:18 EDT /

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers disavows telling a U.S. senator that she believes there's a constitutional right to privacy and that a case the high court relied on when it legalized abortion was correctly decided, the lawmaker's spokesman said in a statement.

Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the statement after telling reporters that Miers, the White House counsel, had told him there was a right to privacy.

Specter's spokesman, Bill Reynolds, said Miers called the senator after reading news accounts of his comments about their conversation to say Specter had misunderstood her position about privacy or the 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.

``In their meeting this afternoon Sen. Specter thought Ms. Harriet Miers said she agreed with Griswold v. Connecticut and there was a right to privacy in the Constitution,'' Reynolds said in the statement emailed last night.

=

[snooper2]

7. busted up link...

NT

[johnfunk]

10. Link unbusted!

it's http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=an0PkYw.U3XI&refer=us

[reality based]

8. Bust her

[enough]

11. Miers Disavows Saying Constitution Protects Privacy

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=an0PkYw.U3XI&refer=us

Oct. 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers disavows telling a U.S. senator that she believes there's a constitutional right to privacy and that a case the high court relied on when it legalized abortion was correctly decided, the lawmaker's spokesman said in a statement.

Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the statement after telling reporters that Miers, the White House counsel, had told him there was a right to privacy.

Specter's spokesman, Bill Reynolds, said Miers called the senator after reading news accounts of his comments about their conversation to say Specter had misunderstood her position about privacy or the 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.

``In their meeting this afternoon Sen. Specter thought Ms. Harriet Miers said she agreed with Griswold v. Connecticut and there was a right to privacy in the Constitution,'' Reynolds said in the statement emailed last night.

``Ms. Miers called him to say that he misunderstood her and that she had not taken a position on Griswold or the privacy issue. Sen. Specter accepts Ms. Miers's statement that he misunderstood what she said,'' Reynolds said in the statement.

more>

[rockymountaindem]

12. This is odd

to say the least.

[maximovich]

13. Get the F' Oughta Here You Skanky Fascist

She smells like rotten fish from where I stand!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. Rethuglicans don't want a right to privacy

they want to be able to have their Secret Police spying on everyone all the time. No Dems better vote in favor of this lying Miers.

[saltpoint]

15. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Harriet MIers for

clearing up the confusion regarding her views on constitutional protections on privacy, and we thank her vigorously for asserting her right to eventually vote against that right. We wouldn't want to upset Jim Dobson, now would we?

I would like to nominate Harriet Miers for the Leni Riefenstahl Award.

[ender]

16. oh christ...

just put this nomination out of its misery, please?

she doesnt agree with griswold? that means no contraception to married people. there are very, very few people in america that agree with this...

[sinkingfeeling]

17. Well, a right to privacy is certainly implied. To have your belongings

secure from searches and seizures without warrants, implies privacy.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

[MidwestTransplant]

18. She is a Bush clone....idiot didn't even know what Griswold was.

She also told one of the senators that her favorite justice was "Warren," prompting them to ask if she was referring to Earl Warren or Warren Burger the liberal. She figured it out and said Warren Burger....who voted in favor of Roe BTW.