It hasn't happened in 11 years, and now it has happened twice in one year.

Supreme Court justice nominations happen rarely during a president's tenure. So, for President Bush to be able to nominate two is a quite rare occurrence, as well as lucky for the Republican Party.

Harriet Miers is in line to become the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court, filling the spot vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor who is retiring. However, unlike the already approved Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Miers' nomination comes under much scrutiny.

There are several reasons why Miers has been followed with such controversy. One major reason is while Harriet Miers is regarded to be a superb lawyer, she has never been a judge. This raises many questions such as where she stands on many issues, including the very controversial Roe v. Wade abortion decision.

Two professors at UD also shared their thoughts on Mier's nomination.

Jason Pierce, assistant professor of political science, said '' Ms. Miers will face countless hypotheticals precisely because the paper trail is so thin.'

'It's unknown whether she [Miers] will move the court farther right or be like O'Connor and take measured rulings case by case,' said Lisa Kloppenberg, dean of the School of Law at UD.

Republicans were thrilled when they found out the President would be making two Supreme Court nominations. However, after the nomination of Miers, their intensity cooled

Some believe the president made this decision based in large part to his long standing relationship with Miers. Miers has served as President Bush's White House Counsel for the past five years. Before that, she was chosen as the head of the Texas Lottery Commission while President Bush served as Texas governor.

President Bush says, however, he strongly believes in Miers. During his nomination speech the president said 'one person stood out as exceptionally well suited to sit on the highest court of our nation.'

The President also cited there have been other Supreme Court justices who previously had no experience behind the bench. Such justices include the late Chief Justices William Rehnquist and Byron White.

Miers' colleagues in Texas honored her with numerous awards, most recently, and somewhat ironically, the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Professional Excellence. Kloppenberg praised the selection of a woman for the Supreme Court, noting Miers' legal experience is solid, even though she's never been a judge.

'Enhancing gender diversity on the court is an important goal for the country,' said Kloppenberg.

Many students in the UD community do not believe Miers' nomination can affect them. However, it affects all of the country in a major way. The judges appointed now will make judgments on legislation and other issues for years to come.

Chief Justice John Roberts, because of his young age, will impact the court for many decades to come. Before this year, there has not been a seat open on the Supreme Court since 1994. This is why each presidential election is very important.

The president in office when a seat opens will directly choose who will fill the seat.

It is quite likely Miers will be approved by the Senate as the next Supreme Court Justice. Perhaps the only certain thing about Miers' overall uncertainty is only time will tell how this superb lawyer will fair as a judge. And not only a judge, but one of the nine most important judges in the United States.