Bork Refuses to Pull Out; Reagan Says He’s Pleased : Judge Calls for Full Vote by Senate

Robert H. Bork, saying, “I harbor no illusions” about his chances of being confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, defiantly refused today to abandon his seemingly hopeless campaign to win approval in the Senate.

In a dramatic appearance in the White House press room, Bork bitterly denounced the campaign waged against his confirmation and said that “a crucial principle is at stake. That principle is the way in which we select the men and women who guard the liberties of all the American people.

“That should not be done through public campaigns of distortion,” a grim-faced Bork said in a nationally broadcast statement. “If I withdrew now, that campaign would be seen as a success and it would be mounted against future nominees.”

“Federal judges are not appointed to decide cases according to the latest opinion polls,” he said. “They are appointed to decide cases impartially according to law.”

Quavering Voice

Though his words were defiant, Bork’s voice quavered.

Bork announced his decision to hold out for a full Senate vote after meeting at the White House with President Reagan and his senior advisers. Reagan issued a statement later saying, “I am pleased by Judge Bork’s decision to go forward.”

Reagan accused Bork’s opponents of waging “an attack based on innuendoes, mis-truths and distortions to shield Bob Bork’s real record of integrity, decency, fairness and above all, judicial restraint.”

He added, “It is time to stop those who are determined to politicize the judiciary and try to accomplish through the courts what they cannot accomplish through the legislature.”

While the Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on the nomination, the outcome seems relatively certain. A total of 53 senators are on the record against confirmation, more than enough to kill Bork’s chance of sitting on the nation’s highest court.

Ample Room to Pull Out

Republicans on the Judicary Committee are not expected to complete their report on the Bork confirmation hearings until next Friday, so the full Senate could not take up the nomination until the week after that at the earliest.

Bork’s announcement ended days of speculation that he was about to withdraw. While professing support for Bork, the White House had left ample room for him to pull out, with Reagan saying it was up to Bork to decide whether to stay and fight.

After deliberating his decision overnight, Bork went to the White House with his wife and three children and waited in the residence for Reagan as the President gave a speech downstairs in the East Room.

Appearing alone later in the press room, Bork complained about the multimillion-dollar campaign waged against his nomination, saying, “The process of confirming justices for our nation’s highest court has been transformed in a way that should not, indeed must not, be permitted to occur ever again.”

‘We Deplore the Fainthearted’

Hundreds of Bork’s supporters rallied on the Ellipse near the White House and were addressed by Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.), a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.

“Mr. President, don’t give up, send it to the floor,” Kemp said, to cheers. “We deplore the fainthearted who would jump ship, concede defeat.”

Later the group went by invitation to the White House and stood on the South Lawn, chanting, “Don’t back down. We want Bork.”

Reagan and his wife, Nancy, smiled and waved to the group as they boarded their helicopter to fly to Camp David, Md., for the weekend.