WASHINGTON, July 3 (UPI) -- Conservative groups in the United States have begun pressuring President Bush not to name Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Since Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her resignation Friday, conservative groups have been hustling to discourage Bush from naming Gonzales as her replacement, The New York Times said Sunday.
A delegation of conservative lawyers led by Boyden Gray and former Attorney General Edwin Meese met with the White House chief of staff, Andrew Card, to warn that appointing Gonzales would splinter conservative support.
Elsewhere, Paul Weyrich, a veteran conservative organizer said he had told administration officials that nominating Gonzales upset the president's conservative backers because of Gonzales' views on abortion, which are considered suspect by religious conservatives.
Bush's aides said a decision on O'Connor's replacement would not be announced before he returned from a trip to Europe at the end of next week.
