NATION : Souter Dodges Abortion Issue
David H. Souter met today with the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will consider his Supreme Court nomination and refused to answer reporters’ questions about abortion and affirmative action.
Souter spent an hour in private discussions with committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who will preside at the confirmation hearings expected in September.
The quiet New Hampshire jurist continued to dodge questions by reporters following him as he made his courtesy calls.
Asked if there was any way to get him to talk about his views on abortion, he responded: “In a word, no.”
How about affirmative action?
“Same word,” he said. “I like that word.” But he kidded a reporter to “keep it up.”
After his meeting with Biden, Souter said, “I look forward to making my positions clear to the extent it is constitutionally appropriate” when the hearings begin.
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