BREAKING NEWS
Miers withdraws court nomination
U.S. President George W. Bush has "reluctantly accepted" Harriet Miers' withdrawal from her nomination to the Supreme Court, according to a statement from the White House. In the statement, Miers said her nomination presented a "burden for the White House."
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President George W Bush's embattled nominee for the US Supreme Court, White House counsel Harriet Miers, announced she was withdrawing her name from consideration.
In a letter to Bush released by the White House, Miers said she was concerned that the Senate confirmation process "presents a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country".
Bush said on Thursday he reluctantly accepted Miers' withdrawal and would move to fill the vacancy in a timely manner.
Miers had come under criticism from Democrats and conservative Republicans alike and many conservatives had demanded she withdraw her nomination because she lacked judicial experience.
As a reason for pulling out, Miers cited the need to maintain privacy of internal records of her White House service that members of Congress wanted to see but Bush wanted to keep confidential.
AAP
