Ginsburg Hearings Begin July 20

Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Supreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg will begin July 20, meaning that she could be confirmed by the Senate before its summer recess begins on Aug. 6.

This would meet the accelerated schedule urged by President Clinton, who selected the 60-year-old federal appellate judge Monday to succeed retiring Justice Byron R. White.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), the committee’s chairman, predicted Friday that the nominee will win approval easily, noting that an FBI background check had found no problems. “Talk about clean as a whistle,” Biden said. “This will hopefully be a very dull confirmation process.”

But Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who played a key role in committee hearings that led to the Senate’s rejection of Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork, said he planned a careful review, while saying he thought the nominee’s record was excellent.