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Conservatives Wary of Court Nominee

U.S. conservatives are less supportive of President Bush`s nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court than they initially were for John Roberts.

The poll, taken Monday and Tuesday, indicates people are concerned about Miers` lack of judicial experience, though partisanship is sure to have played an unspoken role. Among those conservative respondents, 58-percent say the Miers nomination is excellent or good, and 29-percent feel it`s only fair or poor. In contrast, 77-percent of conservatives in a July poll thought the Roberts nomination was excellent or good, and just 13-percent found it fair or poor.

When asked to rate Bush`s nomination of Miers, 44-percent of those polled described it as excellent or good, while 41-percent said it was fair or poor and 15-percent had no opinion. In reference to the effect of Miers` lack of judicial experience on their support, for 46-percent it made them less likely to support her, just 10-percent made their support more likely, and 42-percent say it made no difference.