in the U.S. Attorney firings controversy. Miers was requested to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 11, 2007. The White House reiterated its longstanding demand that no past or present White House officials would be permitted to testify under oath before the panels, and that private interviews, not under oath, and without transcripts would be permitted. The Chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees reiterated that the White House terms were unacceptable. Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter (R-PA) said that the committee had "really had no response from the White House" regarding possible testimony on the firing of several U.S. attorneys, and that had prompted the subpoena to compel a response. Miers refused to appear before Congress because Bush ordered her not to. On Wednesday, July 25, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee voted 22–17 to cite Miers for contempt of Congress for her failure to appear before the committee in response to its subpoena. On February 14, 2008, the full House of Representatives voted to cite her for contempt by a vote of 223–32. Many Republicans walked out of the chamber in protest, deriding the priorities of the speaker in calling the vote, as opposed to a vote on a surveillance bill. On March 4, 2009, Miers and former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bush Karl Rove agreed to testify under oath before Congress about the firings of U.S. attorneys. Personal life Miers is a close friend of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht has known her for more than 25 years. After Miers's nomination to the Supreme Court, Hecht was cited as an unofficial spokesperson representing her views. In 1979, after she made partner in her law firm, she became an evangelical Christian after a series of long discussions with Hecht, who was her colleague at the firm. See also Unsuccessful nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States List of first women lawyers and judges in Texas References Works cited Notes External links Issue positions and quotes at OnTheIssues Official White House biography |- |- 1945 births Living people American women lawyers Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy George W. Bush administration personnel Hillcrest High School (Dallas) alumni Dallas City Council members Southern Methodist University alumni Lawyers from Dallas Texas Republicans Unsuccessful nominees to the United States