Two blocked court nominees differ in styles

0 Comments | USA TODAY, May, 2005 | by Joan Biskupic

WASHINGTON -- They are prominent faces in the Senate fight over President Bush's judicial nominations. Both are women and both are conservative. But Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown have come to the national stage with strikingly different backgrounds and legal styles.

Owen, a Texas Supreme Court justice, is reserved, worked for a leading Texas law firm and is a longtime friend of Bush insiders such as Karl Rove and White House counsel Harriet Miers. She is a traditional conservative who in her decisions has narrowly interpreted state statutes.

Brown, a California Supreme Court justice with a bolder personality, is an outspoken supporter of property rights and the idea that government should have a limited role in Americans' lives.

Brown, the daughter...