WASHINGTON - A South Carolina woman and
civil rights group have criticized federal judge Karen Williams, who
some think is being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Williams of Orangeburg, S.C., is considered to be a leading
contender to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Legal
experts in touch with administration officials about the selection
process say the president is most likely to choose a woman to
replace O'Connor, even though many of the often-mentioned candidates
are men.
Lisa Ocheltree of Lexington, S.C., said Williams, who has served
on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals for 13 years, showed no
sympathy for her sexual harassment lawsuit against a former
employer.
"When I heard she could be nominated, I was outraged," said
Ocheltree, who sued after she claimed the company fired her for
complaining about crude sexual remarks. "It would be a kick in the
butt for a lot of women."
In 1999, Williams was part of a three-judge panel of the 4th
Circuit that overturned a jury's decision in Ocheltree's favor. The
law doesn't protect women from "everyday insults as if they remained
models of Victorian reticence," Williams wrote at the time.
Williams was reversed 10-2 when the full court considered
Ocheltree's case.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
also has concerns with some of Williams' decisions, said Hilary
Shelton, director of the group's Washington office.
"There are troubling issues not only regarding discrimination
based on gender, but there appears to be an insensitivity toward
plaintiffs in racial (employment) discrimination cases," she
said.
Williams, a former trial lawyer, is known as one of the most
conservative judges on the nation's most conservative federal
appeals court. Law professors point to an opinion Williams wrote in
1999 that could have paved the way for overturning the 1966 Miranda
case, which outlines the rights - "You have the right to remain
silent ..." - that suspects must be read before a police
interrogation. The Supreme Court voted 7-2 that Miranda would
stand.
But Williams has had bipartisan support in South Carolina,
including a recommendation from U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the former
chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
"I would certainly do whatever I can to make that happen," said
Clyburn, whose district includes Williams' hometown. "She would do
our state proud and herself proud."
Clyburn said he is good friends with her husband, attorney
Charles H. Williams III.
"I think very well of her," Clyburn said.
Williams' father-in-law was the late state Sen. Marshall
Williams, D-Orangeburg. Charles Williams has given generously to
many Democratic candidates, including $2,000 to state Superintendent
of Education Inez Tenenbaum during her U.S. Senate bid last
year.
