FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2005
NEWS
Musical chairs
Megan True/KANSAN
Four-year-old Kaliyah Townsend listens to the KU Symphony Orchestra rehearse yesterday afternoon in Murphy hall. The orchestra will perform in a concert at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the Lied Center.
Committee approves Roberts
SUPREME COURT
BY DAVID ESPO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON—John Roberts' nomination as chief justice cleared a Senate committee on a bipartisan vote of 13-5 yesterday, with next week's confirmation so certain that Republicans and Democrats turned increasing attention to President Bush's choice to fill a second Supreme Court vacancy.
Before the committee vote on Roberts, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., said, "I will vote my hopes and not my fears, and I will vote to confirm him." Kohl was one of three Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who supported Roberts' nomination along with all 10 Republicans on the panel.
"I don't see how anybody can justify a vote against Judge Roberts, unless they want to nitpick certain areas that you can nitpick on anybody," said Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Five Democrats voted against Roberts, questioning his commitment to civil rights and expressing concern that he might overturn the 1973 court ruling that established the right to abortion.
"The values and perspectives displayed over and over again in his record cast doubt on his view of voting rights, women's rights, civil rights and disability rights," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said of the 50-year-old appeals court judge and former Reagan administration lawyer.
The Democratic support for Roberts marked a stinging defeat for the liberal groups that are lobbying energetically against confirmation. Without mentioning names, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., criticized them in remarks on the Senate floor, accusing them of "knee-jerk, unbending and what I consider to be unfair attacks" on lawmakers who disagreed with them.
Even so, one prominent conservative said he was unimpressed with the level of bipartisanship in committee.
"We're supposed to think the
Democrats are being magnanimous? Give me a break," said Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society. He noted that several Supreme Court nominations by presidents of both parties have gained overwhelming bipartisan support in the past two decades.
The full Senate is to debate Roberts' nomination next week, with all 55 Republicans expected to support him. A final vote is expected Thursday, in enough time to allow him to succeed the late William H. Rehnquist and become the 17th chief justice before the court begins a new term on Oct. 3.
With the committee session over, Democrats not on the panel began making their positions known.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a potential presidential contender in 2008, said she will oppose the nomination. In prepared remarks, she said, "Desire to maintain the already fragile Supreme Court majority for civil rights, voting rights and
women's rights outweighs the respect I have for Judge Roberts' intellect, character and legal skills."
There was scant sparring in the Judiciary Committee as 18 senators took turns reading prepared statements laying out their positions. What passed for suspense had dissipated Wednesday, when Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the panel's senior Democrat, announced he would support the nomination.
With Roberts' confirmation a certainty, several senators on the committee were looking ahead to Bush's selection of a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee's chairman, told reporters he thought the president might name a successor shortly after Roberts' confirmation. "He might wait until the following Monday, but seeing how President Bush operates, I think it will be sooner rather than later," he said.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3A
A 24-year-old KU student reported that a dog bit her face after she leaned over a fence to pet it at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at the 1300 block of Connecticut St.
ON THE RECORD
♦ A 21-year-old KU student reported an estimated $3,200 in damage to a vehicle sometime between 4 and 10:30 a.m. on the 1300 block of West 24th Street.
♦ A 24-year-old KU student reported a $100 gray Murray mountain bike and a $25 cable lock stolen sometime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 at Wescoe Hall.
- An 18-year-old KU student reported a silver and white Magna bike stolen and an estimated $10 cable lock damaged sometime between 1:30 and 2:20 p.m. Sept. 21 at Fraser Hall.
ON CAMPUS
grounds, 2110 Harper St., from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow.
- "Water Wars," an event put on by Alpha Gamma Delta sorority to benefit juvenile diabetes research, will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at "Dad" Perry Park North, at Harvard Street and Parkside Road. It will feature water games, a water balloon war and a greased watermelon activity.
◆ The Lawrence Flea Market will be at the Douglas County Fair.
As part of the Jewish Studies Lecture Series, Jeremy Stolow, assistant professor at McMaster University in Canada, is giving a lecture called "Prayer Books, Cookbooks, Self-help Books: Reflections on Publishing in the Jewish Orthodox World" from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the English Room, on level six of the Kansas Union.
CAMPUS
Crash leaves student in serious condition
Kuo-Lin Lien, a 23-year-old KU student, remains in serious condition after the vehicle he was a passenger in crashed into a median and rolled Sept. 17, said a spokesman at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Kuan-Che Hung, a 20-year-old KU student, was discharged from the Med Center on Sept. 19, the spokesman said.
Lien, three other KU students and another passenger were driving east on E.1750 Road when their vehicle crashed.
Perfect exam scores earn big rewards
Steve Lynn
The University of Kansas is offering a new scholarship this semester to in-state students who earn a perfect score on college entrance exams, either a 36 on the ACT or a 1600 on the SAT.
The scholarship, named the Perfect Achievement Scholarship, covers the cost of enrollment in 15 credit hours, housing in residence halls, a meal plan and a book stipend. The scholarship is estimated to be worth $50,000 for four years.
"We wanted to highlight the academic achievement of Kansas scholars by recognizing perfect achievement," said Lisa
Pamononti Kress, director of admissions and scholarships.
Thornton Thompson, Lenexa freshman, is the first person to receive the scholarship. He scored a 36 on the ACT.
Frank Tankard
LAWRENCE
Monarch documentary flies into Lawrence
Francisco Gutierrez will stop in Lawrence this weekend with the crew of the Papaotzin project, which has been following the migration of monarch butterflies since Aug. 22.
Gutierrez started in Montreal, Canada, and will end his journey at the butterfly sanctuaries in Michoacan, Mexico. The Papalotzin project uses an ultralight plane for travel.
At 10 a.m. on Monday, the plane will be transferred from Lawrence Municipal Airport to Foley Hall, 2021 Constant Ave., to be displayed for the media. Dan Lara, of University Relations, said the event was open to the public
Lara said the crew of the project would be taking footage of Lawrence and the University campus from its plane.
Orley "Chip" Taylor will take Gutierrez and his crew on a tour of Foley Hall and the Baker Wetlands. Lara said. Gutierrez will interview Taylor, director of Monarch watch and professor of ecology, for the documentary about the trip, said Lara.
Travis Robinett