Law Faculty Is Optimistic Upon Defeat of Carswell

With a mixture of jubilation, restrained satisfaction, and cautions optimism, the Law School responded to yesterday's Senate defeat of the nomination of G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court.

The controversial nomination, which was opposed by many legal scholars throughout the nation, failed to receive Senate confirmation by a vote of 51-46.

"After having spent many hours of time on this. I am certainly very pleased with the result." said Derek C. Bok, dean of the Law School.

Bok, who was active in mobilizing opposition to the Florida judge, said that the issues of legal mediocrity and racial insensitivity caused Carswell's defeat. Since the Senate is normally reluctant to reject two Supreme Court nominations in a row, Bok said, "both of these reasons were necessary to defeat Carswell."

Vern Countryman, professor of Law, said that the Carswell defeat "sort of revitalizes my faith." Countryman, another active opponent of Carswell at the Law School, was guardedly hopeful about Nixon's next choice for the Court.

"After the defeat of Haynsworth. Nixon chose Carswell as a retaliatory appointment. trying to show that he could do even worse than Haynsworth. After this, he could do worse again, but even Nixon could learn from two rebukes. I don't think that he will be willing to risk a third repudiation," Countryman added.

Bok agreed. "It is extremely important that the next nomination be a man of respected proportions," he said.