Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
Karen Williams of Orangeburg is being "seriously considered"
for a slot on the Supreme Court, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham
says.
Graham, who sits on the Senate Judiciary
Committee, said Wednesday he fully supports Williams as a
candidate for the bench.
"I know she (Williams) is
seriously being considered for the Supreme Court," Graham
said. "(She) brings the experience and knowledge base required
to be on the Supreme Court."
Williams had previously
been named as one of the possible candidates to replace
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's on the court before President
George Bush nominated John Roberts. Bush later nominated
Roberts for the chief justice's position after the death of
Chief Justice William Rehnquist, reopening the position left
open by the retirement of O'Connor.
As Roberts has sailed toward
confirmation by the Senate, speculation has increased that
Williams might be Bush's choice to replace
O'Connor.
Graham said Williams' solid conservative
views and the fact that she is a woman would serve the United
States' highest court well, not to mention the fact that her
judicial record shows that she believes in a limited judiciary
role and would interpret, not make, laws.
"She is a
well-respected person in South Carolina, and I believe she
would be supported across party lines in the state," Graham
said. "(But) who the president picks is up to him."
A
nomination is expected following Roberts' confirmation
Thursday.
State Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, who
practiced law with Williams from 1982 until 1992, when she was
appointed to the appellate court, said she is an excellent
lawyer who is very deserving of the consideration she is being
given.
"She'd make an excellent Supreme Court judge,"
he said. "She is extremely thoughtful and meticulous. When she
undertakes to do something, she's going to do it
well."
Hutto said her dedicated nature crosses all
lines of her life, from her work to her family to her
church.
"(Williams is) one of the most fair-minded
individuals that could ever be on the Supreme Court," he said.
"She doesn't have any agenda. She's a true judge in every
sense of the word. She calls it like she sees it.
"She
is smart, she is thoughtful, she is fair."
A posting on
ConfirmThem.com, a Republican blog site, said Wednesday to
"Keep watching the 4th Circuit. It is time for a Southerner
anyway."
However, by mid-afternoon, another poster
said, "As I reported last week, my source stated that
Priscilla Owen was at the top of the list. After speaking with
my source again today, I am here to tell you all that it is a
done deal. Owen will be the nominee, and Bush will make the
announcement as early as Friday."
Williams has been
mentioned as a possible candidate by many mainstream
publications, including The Associated Press, the Washington
Post, the Washington Times and the Wall Street
Journal.
Williams was born Karen Johnson in 1951. She
taught at Irmo and Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School before
earning her juris doctor degree. She graduated cum laude from
the University of South Carolina in 1980.
She worked as
an attorney with husband Charles Williams, son of the late
Senate President Pro Tem Marshall Williams, D-Orangeburg, for
12 years before she was nominated to the 4th Circuit Court of
Appeals by the late Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond. Although
the court is based in Richmond, Va., Williams maintains an
office in downtown Orangeburg.
