With a second vacancy on the Supreme Court, and Judge John Roberts nominated as Chief Justice, women’s rights leaders reiterated their appeal for a woman appointee to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. “We again call on President Bush to choose a moderate woman jurist to fill Sandra Day O’Connor’s historic seat. He did not win a mandate to appoint right-wing judges who would reverse women’s progress,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), said, “Bush now has a second opportunity to honor Sandra Day O’Connor’s legacy by naming a moderate woman to replace her as associate justice. He can get it right this time.”
Before Roberts’ nomination, the idea of a woman appointee was popular. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll indicated that three-quarters of Americans favored a woman nominee to the Court, and First Lady Laura Bush told NBC’s “Today Show” that she hoped a woman would take O’Connor’s place.
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