JULY 20-JULY 26,2005
NEWS
i m a t a z t a t i n g
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7
SUPREME COURT
Bush names Supreme Court nominee
BY DEB RIECHANN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Bush chose federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. for a seat on the Supreme Court July 19, delighting Republicans while unsettling some Democrats with the selection of a young jurist with impeccable conservative credentials.
Roberts, 50, would succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has long been a swing vote on a court divided narrowly on issues such as abortion, affirmative action, states' rights and the death penalty.
The Harvard-educated Roberts learned of his selection in a lunchtime phone call from the president, according to administration officials. White House aides arranged for a prime time formal announcement as they sought the widest possible audience for a president making his first pick to the court — and the nation's first in more than a decade.
Initial reaction from Republicans was strongly in favor of Roberts. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama called him a "fabulous
"The president has chosen someone with suitable legal credentials,but that is not the end of our inquiry."
Harry Reid Senate minority leader
nominee" and predicted that if confirmed, he would "bring a nonpolitical approach to judging."
Democratic reaction was more measured, but initially at least, offered no hint of a filibuster. "The president has chosen someone with suitable legal credentials, but that is not the end of our inquiry," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Referring to planned hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Reid said, "I will not prejudice this nomination. I look forward to learning more about Judge Roberts."
Bush has said he wants his
pick confirmed and seated on the bench by the time the court convenes for its new term in October. Hearings are likely in late August or early September.
Roberts has already won Senate confirmation once before he was approved in 2003 when the president named him to his current post on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Advocacy groups on the right say that Roberts, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who graduated with honors from Harvard Law School in 1979, is a bright judge with strong conservative credentials he burnished in the administrations of former Presidents Bush and Reagan. While he has been a federal judge for just a little more than two years, legal experts say that whatever experience he lacks on the bench is offset by his many years arguing cases before the Supreme Court.
Liberal groups, however, say Roberts has taken positions in cases involving free speech and religious liberty that endanger those rights. Abortion rights groups allege that Roberts, while
deputy solicitor general during the former Bush's administration, was hostile to women's reproductive freedom and cite a brief he co-wrote in 1990 that suggested the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 high court decision that legalized abortion.
In his defense, Roberts told senators during his 2003 confirmation hearing that he would be guided by legal precedent.
Advocacy groups on the left and the right already are gearing up for a fierce lobbying campaign in advertisements on television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. The battle is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars in spending by private groups.
While he doesn't have national name recognition, Roberts is a Washington insider who has worked over the years at the White House, Justice Department and in private practice.
Roberts was one of five prospective nominees whom Bush met with between July 14 and July 16, according to a senior administration official who provided details of the selection.
PROFILE
President taps federal judge
Federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr., 50, was nominated by President Bush for the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Birth date/place - Jan. 27, 1955; Buffalo, N.Y.
Career – U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit, June 2003 present; principal deputy solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1989-1993; private practice, Washington, DC, 1986-1989, 1993-2003; associate counsel, White House Counsel's Office, 1982-1986; special assistant to the attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1981-1982; law clerk, Associate Justice William Rehnquist, 1980-1981; law clerk, Hon. Henry Friendly, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
1979-1980
Family --
Wife,
Jane; son,
John;
daughter,
Josephine
John G.
Roberts Jr.