John Roberts: Court Wars

President George W. Bush shakes hands with his Supreme Court Justice Nominee John Roberts after his remarks on the State Floor of the White House, Tuesday evening, July 19, 2005. White House Photo by Eric Draper
Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. is President Bush's selection to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the Supreme Court.Transcript of the announcement

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush named federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. to a seat on the Supreme Court Tuesday, delighting Republicans while unsettling some Democrats with the selection of a young jurist with impeccable conservative credentials.

"John Roberts has devoted his entire professional life to the cause of justice," Bush said in a prime-time announcement at the White House, "and is widely admired for his intellect his sound judgment and his personal decency."

...Roberts stood at Bush's side as the president heaped praise on him, calling him "one of the finest legal minds" in the country.

The president said he had recently spoken with Senate leaders of both parties and said they "share my goal" of confirmation proceedings conducted with dignity and fairness.

In brief remarks, Roberts said it "is both an honor and very humbling to be nominated to serve on the Supreme Court." He said he has argued numerous cases before the high court during his career, adding, "I always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps to argue a case before the court, and I don't think it was just from the nerves."

...Initial reaction from Republicans was strongly in favor of Roberts. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama called him a "fabulous nominee" and predicted that if confirmed, he would "bring a nonpolitical approach to judging."

Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a leading conservative, called him "brilliant.

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 prejudge this nomination. I look forward to learning more about Judge Roberts."

"Who knows about this guy?" said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

...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 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.

The war for the court is beginning.

Stream Air America to get an idea of what the Left-wingnuts are saying.

Some guy, I guess it was Sam Seder, was doing an awful impersonation of Bush, saying in a Texas drawl that Roberts loves his family. Really lame!

From what I heard (I can't listen too long without getting a migraine), they were concerned about Roberts and his stance on Roe v. Wade. They were saying they don't know much about him at this point. What an informative broadcast!

Most of the Air America discussion I heard was about theories that Bush announced his nominee to deflect attention from the Karl Rove matter. On the night that a president makes the first nomination to U.S. Supreme Court in over a decade, these libs are STILL talking about Rove! Unbelievable!

Links that Air America is offering its audience:

President Bush officially nominates Judge John G. Roberts.

Find out more about John Roberts' record from:

People for the American Way have an extensive file.

Legal Times backgrounder.

Bloomberg News on his potential influence on the court's direction.

Quick key facts from Reuters.

First reactions to the nomination.

Not surprisingly, NARAL has already mobilized to fight Roberts.

On its home page, it says:
The Battle for the Supreme Court has begun...
Don't let his choice end yours

Help save the Supreme Court from President Bush:
Tell your senators to oppose anti-choice Roberts!

A form letter follows--
Dear Senator,

As your constituent, I am urging you to oppose John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court.

If Roberts is confirmed to a lifetime appointment, there is little doubt that he will work to overturn Roe v. Wade. As Deputy Solicitor General under the first President Bush, he argued to the Supreme Court that "Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled…."

Sincerely,

Check out their Supreme Court Action Kit.

Just as we feared, President Bush nominated a right-wing judicial activist with an anti-choice track record to the Supreme Court: John Roberts.

If Roberts is confirmed to a lifetime appointment, there is little doubt that he will work to overturn Roe v. Wade. As Deputy Solicitor General under the first President Bush, he argued to the Supreme Court that "Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled…."

We must not allow someone who's spent his career advocating ending the right to choose to be appointed to the most important court in our country.

They encourage their supporters to contact their senators, educate friends and neighbors, and alert local media.

People for the American Way have this response:People for the American Way is extremely disappointed that the President did not choose a consensus nominee in the mold of Sandra Day O’Connor. John Roberts’ record raises serious concerns as well as questions about where he stands on crucial legal and constitutional issues – it will be extremely important for Senators and the American people to get answers to those questions. Replacing O’Connor with someone who is not committed to upholding Americans’ rights, liberties, and legal protections would be a constitutional catastrophe.

And this, from Dr. Dean and the DNC:
Statement by DNC Chairman on the Nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court

Faced with a growing scandal surrounding the involvement of Deputy White House chief of Staff Karl Rove and Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis Libby in the leaking the identity of a covert CIA operative, President Bush announced his nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court late this evening. Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement on the nomination:

"It is disappointing that when President Bush had the chance to bring the country together, he instead turned to a nominee who may have impressive legal credentials, but also has sharp partisan credentials that cannot be ignored.

"Democrats take very seriously the responsibility to protect the individual rights of all Americans and are committed to ensuring that ideological judicial activists are not appointed to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee will now have the opportunity to see if Judge Roberts can put his partisanship aside, and live up to a Supreme Court Justice's duty to uphold the rights and freedoms of every American and the promise of equal justice for all."

This sounds like what I was hearing on Air America!

When I was watching John Roberts standing next to the President during the televised announcement, all I could think of was how that poor guy was going to be attacked.

It will be brutal.

One thing we can already assume about Roberts is that he is a very brave man.
From the Republicans, Ken Mehlman's comments:

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman issued the following statement on President Bush’s nomination of Judge John Roberts to the United States Supreme Court.

“I applaud President Bush’s decision to nominate Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court. The President’s thorough and deliberative selection has yielded a remarkably fair and impartial jurist who will undoubtedly serve the nation’s highest court with the utmost integrity, and respect for American jurisprudence.

“Judge Roberts’ reputation as an unparalleled legal mind and compassionate jurist has earned the highest praise from his colleagues across the legal community. His unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate in 2003 to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, at a time of intense partisan gamesmanship and judicial filibusters, is testimony to his wide breadth of support. As Judge John Roberts’ confirmation process moves forward, it is my hope that it proceeds in a manner as fair, thoughtful, and cooperative as the manner in which he was nominated.”

Within hours of the announcement, the battle lines have already been drawn, and the trenches have been dug.
God be with John Roberts as he faces the wrath of the Left.