Newswise — The nomination of U.S. Circuit Court Judge John Roberts Jr. to become the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Roberts would replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died earlier this month of thyroid cancer. Roberts was a former Rehnquist clerk.
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Sample Comments:
Mark GraberExpert in Politics, Constitutional Law; Human Rights; Abortion, Culture Wars, Supreme Court.
"Chief Justice Rehnquist presided over the Court with grace and dignity. Originally placed on the supreme bench for the purpose of stemming liberal judicial activism, he became a champion of conservative judicial activism, leading the court in placing strict limits on federal power to regulate guns, violence against women, discrimination against the handicapped, commercial speech, campaign finance, and affirmative action. How his legacy will be judged will depend on whether commentators find a principled difference between the judicial protection of such issues as abortion and the rights of the criminal accused, which Rehnquist abhorred, and the rights of property holders and state governments, which he often celebrated."
Trevor Parry-GilesAn expert in the history of the Supreme Court confirmation process and politics behind it; American Political Rhetoric.
"Politically, the appointment of John Roberts to succeed Chief Justice Rehnquist works well for the president. With his approval ratings declining, the escalating problems in Iraq, and the debacle about federal responses to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush was smart to exploit the one success he's had in the past few months--his initial nomination of John Roberts to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor."
"Assuming that Roberts is confirmed, the interesting question now, of course, is who the president will tap to succeed Justice O'Connor. The pressure will undoubtedly increase on the president to select a person of color or a woman for that seat, and there is certainly no shortage of likely candidates."
"Does the president nominate Alberto Gonzales, and alienate his base of conservative supporters who have made no secret of their antipathy toward Gonzales? Or does he risk a confirmation fight and nominate a more activist conservative judge (Janice Rogers Brown, Edith Jones, Emilio Garza, for instance)? Or is there a compromise pick--Larry Thompson or someone currently not on the radar of Court watchers? These are the political calculations that face the president as he seeks to mark him impression on the Supreme Court."
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