Free Republic

Ann Coulter...was definitely Friday’s biggest draw at CPAC 2006. From the get-go the conservative columnist had the crowd cheering and was frequently interrupted by applause. Many of Coulter’s talking points came from recent news events -- such as “the great Danish cartoon caper” and President Bush’s Supreme Court nominees. “Muslims are the only group who kill because people call them violent,” she said of Islam’s rage over the printing of Muhammad cartoons. Speaking about the nation's highest court, Coulter not only expressed elation at Justice Samuel Alito’s confirmation, she also shared her feelings on Chief Justice John Roberts ... She...

So, Mr. Chief Justice, will it be us or them? Given his first case, we'll know soon enough if new Chief Justice John Roberts is with us or them. It's a control case, a who's-in-charge case. Us or them. The people of Oregon -- me and you, 'cept they live there and we live here -- have twice affirmed through referenda that if a mentally-with-it dying person wants to skip the last part, it's OK for the doctor to prescribe and the pharmacist to fill a fatal prescription. The Oregon Legislature, being the servant of the people that it is,...

Ever since President George W. Bush nominated John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court, legal analysts have said that the 50-year-old jurist is an exceptional lawyer, and clearly he is. Only the most skilled of attorneys could so deftly say so little in such a great expanse of time. But don't fault Roberts for the evasions in his confirmation hearings. He's merely playing by the established rules of America's dysfunctional, overly politicized judicial confirmation process. It's a process for which Roe v. Wade bears much of the blame. On the question of that 1973 Supreme Court ruling, which came up...

<p>NEW YORK -- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday that he had not expected President Bush to nominate him to replace the late William Rehnquist as chief justice. "I'm not even sure I wanted it, to tell you the truth," Scalia told reporters at a media briefing before a gala dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan Bush, who had in the past mentioned Scalia as one role model for an ideal chief justice, passed on Scalia and nominated John Roberts after Rehnquist's death. Scalia said the time he would have had to devote to administering the court as chief justice would have taken away from his thinking and writing.</p>

The President spent part of the weekend at Camp David but was back in Washington on Sunday morning to attend the 52nd Annual Red Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral. The Red Mass, a historical tradition within the Catholic Church, is held on the Sunday before the opening session of the Supreme Court. Today at just after 8.00am in the Oval Office the President President Nominated Harriet Miers as Supreme Court Justice Later the President met with Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister of Malta in the Oval Office John Roberts investiture as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States took...

Today, with the president who appointed him in attendance, the 17th chief justice of the United States will robe and take his high seat as the first among nine equals. John G. Roberts Jr. is expected to preserve the whimsical stripes on his robe introduced by his mentor, the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He will honor traditions new and old. But yesterday, he and President Bush, along with other justices, judges and dignitaries, participated in a tradition older still.

Today The Senete Confirmed The President's pick for Chief Justice of the United States Judge John Roberts. The Senate voted 78-22 to confirm Roberts. Later in the day he was sworn in by Justice Stevens in the East Room of the White House. John Roberts watched the vote with the President and had luncheon with the President at the White House prior to the swearing in ceromonies. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld attended a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill Yesterday Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke at a dinner of the Global Business Coalition on HIV-AIDS in...

Live from the White House at 3:00 P.M. EDT!

Final count 78 - Yeas, 22 - Nays http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9503382/

WASHINGTON - John Glover Roberts Jr. won confirmation as the 17th chief justice of the United States Thursday, overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate to lead the Supreme Court through turbulent social issues for generations to come. The Senate voted 78-22 to confirm Roberts — a 50-year-old U.S. Appeals judge from the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Md. — as the successor to the late William H. Rehnquist, who died earlier this month. All of the Senate's majority Republicans, and about half of the Democrats, voted for Roberts. Underscoring the rarity of a chief justice's confirmation, senators answered the roll by...

Based on news releases from the websites of U.S. Senators and official statements in the press (found via news.google.com), Judge John Roberts will be confirmed as the next Chief Justice of the United States with the affirming vote of -- at minimum -- 55 U.S. Senators. No, these aren't the 55 GOP Senators, although no Republicans are on record in opposition to Roberts' nomination. The tally includes 43 Republicans who are on record with their intention to vote yes, and 12 Democrats who have broken ranks with party leadership to put their support behind Judge Roberts. Those Democrats who have...

A mock Supreme Court argument in a gay-rights case reminds us that liberals sometimes agree with the next chief justice WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- You won't see John Roberts among the head shots of Supreme Court justices posted at the William & Mary Law School, site of the 2005-06 Supreme Court Preview. Instead of Roberts' face in the space reserved for the chief justice there is a question mark, a reflection of Roberts-like caution on the part of the organizers of this annual conference on the new court term. After all, Roberts hasn't been confirmed yet. But if Roberts is missing...

From Wikipedia: John Marshall (September 24, 1755 – July 6, 1835), Chief Justice of the United States and principal founder of American constitutional law and the Supreme Court of the United States' power of judicial review.Legacy Marshall wrote several important Supreme Court opinions, including: Marbury v. Madison (1803) Fletcher v. Peck (1816) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) Cohens v. Virginia (1821) Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

<p>A nation's identity consists of braided memories, which are nourished by diligence at civic commemorations. It is, therefore, disappointing that at this moment of keen interest in the Supreme Court and the office of chief justice, scant attention has been paid to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the nation's greatest jurist, Chief Justice John Marshall. The oldest of the family's 15 children, he was born Sept. 24, 1755, into Virginia rusticity where women pinned their blouses with thorns. Yet he developed the most urbane and subtle mind of that era of remarkable statecraft. He was a member of Virginia's ratifying convention, and in nearly 35 years as chief justice he founded American constitutional law. That kind of legal reasoning by Supreme Court justices is a continuous exegesis of the Constitution and is sometimes not easily distinguished from a continuing writing of the document.</p>

The government can decide what artwork is worthwhile without being accused of censorship as long as it is funding that art, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told an audience Thursday at the Juilliard School. "The First Amendment has not repealed the ancient rule of life, that he who pays the piper calls the tune," Scalia said. The justice, who limited his discussion to art issues, said he wasn't suggesting that government stop funding the arts, but that if it does fund artwork, it is entitled to have a say in the content, just like when it runs a school system....

If President Bush wants to make a "diversity" pick for a Supreme Court nomination, must he swim shallow or deep in the pool of conservative minority and female possibilities? Conventional wisdom last week suggested that Bush, after tapping Judge John Roberts, a white male, for the position of chief justice, was unlikely to name another white male for the remaining high court vacancy, the seat currently held by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female justice. Of course, conventional wisdom immediately after O'Connor announced her impending retirement held that Bush would maintain or increase diversity on the high court in...

No surprise here, Hillary Clinton released a statement confirming that she will vote no on John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. What I find interesting is her reasoning behind her no vote. According to a statement released by Hill, "I have an obligation to my constituents to make sure that I cast my vote for Chief Justice of the United States for someone I am convinced will be steadfast in protecting fundamental women's rights, civil rights, privacy rights, and who will respect the appropriate separation of powers among the three branches. After the Judiciary Hearings, I believe...

...Schumer argued yesterday "being brilliant and accomplished" didn't make Roberts qualified. Why? Because "there are many who would use their considerable talents and legal acumen to set America back. So, while legal brilliance is to be considered, it is never dispositive.... Roberts is clearly brilliant and his demeanor suggests he well might not be an ideologue. But he did not make the case strongly enough to bet the whole house." This is what a bad argument looks like — pressing an ideological assault against someone by claiming that person could be an "ideologue." The refusal of Schumer and four other...

I am watching a Cspan 3 of the vote. Hard to read the screen but it looks like a 12 to 5 vote for Roberts to be Chief Justice.