Posted on 07/20/2005 1:47:13 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON - President Bush nominated conservative appellate Judge John G. Roberts Jr. for the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday night, calling him "one of the best legal minds of his generation."
Bush, making one of the most significant decisions of his presidency, said in a televised address that Roberts "has the qualities Americans expect in a judge: experience, wisdom, fairness and civility."
The selection of Roberts, a former law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist and an aide in the Reagan White House, won praise from Republicans and skepticism from Democrats.
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Roberts had "sharp partisan credentials that cannot be ignored."
For Bush, the choice is an opportunity to leave his mark on the nation's highest court, the one branch of government that has eluded conservatives. With a lifetime appointment, the 50-year-old Roberts could serve for decades.
If confirmed, Roberts could change the direction of the court because he would replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the swing vote on important cases about abortion, school vouchers and affirmative action.
Bush did not mention those issues in his remarks Tuesday night, but he said Roberts "will strictly apply the Constitution in laws, not legislate from the bench," language that Republicans often use to describe conservative, antiabortion judges.
The selection of the Harvard-educated white man in place of O'Connor, the first woman on the nation's highest court, could open Bush to criticism that he did not do enough for diversity.
White House aides said Bush considered a range of nominees, including people who had not been judges. When the president flew to Europe two weeks ago, he took a notebook with information on 11 candidates and ultimately interviewed five.
"He interviewed women, he was considering minorities at the highest level, on the very shortest of lists," said Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president. But Bush decided Roberts was the strongest candidate.
Roberts is well-connected in Republican circles, having worked as a young associate counsel under President Ronald Reagan and as a deputy solicitor general under the first President Bush. In that job, one of the most coveted in the legal profession, he argued 39 cases on behalf of the federal government before the Supreme Court.
Roberts, who joined Bush at the White House for the announcement, said he was humbled by the opportunity to serve on the nation's highest court.
"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," he said.
In his role as a deputy solicitor general, Roberts once challenged the court's decision in the landmark abortion case Roe vs. Wade. Roberts helped write a brief that stated, "We continue to believe that Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled." Yet in his 2003 confirmation hearing, he said he considered Roe the "settled law of the land," a line used by many appellate nominees to indicate their respect for Supreme Court decisions.
He and his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, have two adopted children, Jack and Josie. He has been a federal appellate judge in the District of Columbia Circuit since 2003.
The announcement was well-timed.
By waiting until 9 p.m. to introduce his nominee on national TV, Bush not only got a large TV audience, he minimized the impact of Democrats and liberal groups, which had to scramble to release statements about the nominee.
It is unusual for presidents to announce their nominees in a nighttime address. The last president to do so was President Richard Nixon in 1969, when he nominated Warren Burger to be chief justice, according to Don Ritchie, a historian at the U.S. Senate.
The nomination is likely to divert attention from the controversy about Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser criticized for identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame to a reporter. Democrats said the timing looked suspicious.
"It's interesting how the subject has changed," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. The announcement "was going to be next week. Now it's this week."
The choice of Roberts was one of Washington's best-kept secrets. For much of Tuesday, the Capitol was abuzz that Bush would choose Edith Clement, a federal appeals judge from New Orleans.
But the buzz faded when ABC News reported on its Web site, "SOURCE TELLS ABC NEWS THAT JUDGE EDITH CLEMENT IS NOT PRESIDENT BUSH'S CHOICE FOR SUPREME COURT."
Even the Drudge Report, a favorite Web site for Republican leaks, didn't get the scoop. "WHO?" asked the Drudge headline in the late afternoon and early evening.
Nominees take office immediately after confirmation and being sworn in. Bush has said he wants to have the confirmation before the court's new term begins in October, but O'Connor said in her resignation that she would stay on the job until someone is confirmed.
Bush interviewed the five candidates last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Roberts had to fly to the interview from London, where he was teaching a class.
Bush had met Roberts at a White House event in 2001 but apparently did not know him well and wanted to interview him along with four other finalists.
Bartlett said the interviews were important to Bush because "he likes to size people up himself, make his own judgment. What he wanted to do was make sure the person matched the resume."
They spoke for about an hour in the relaxed confines of the White House living quarters, with presidential dogs Barney and Miss Beazley at their feet.
Bush made his final decision Tuesday morning and called Roberts in the early afternoon to offer him the appointment. After Roberts accepted, Bush returned to a luncheon he was having with the prime minister of Australia, his wife, and first lady Laura Bush. Bush said, "I just offered the job to a great, smart 50-year-old lawyer who has agreed to serve on the bench."
Times researchers John Martin, Cathy Wos and Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
Thanks for the hilarious link! lol.
My favorite was poor Carni, bless her heart, who said..."I want to claw my own eyes out and then dip my head in lye but what difference would THAT make?"
It points to a pro-life position.
Yes!
Poor Carni wants to claw her eyes out and dip her head in lye!!
Such drama!
And the dummies wonder why the FBI/CIA keeps tabs on them. Last time I checked, threatening the POTUS is a crime!
The Left has such a low bar.
Charge!
You know...this was never "Bush's" subject. These guys are on the verge of drinking Drano for their final act. (btw, love the Chick-a-Boom song......*chuckle*)
It occurs to me that since Roberts once clerked for Rehnquist, the CJ would derive great pleasure in serving on the SC for a short while with his protege..So perhaps the CJ had an inkling, "or more", that Roberts was on the short list, and that's why he has delayed his retirement..
I found that an interesting fact too.
They're just so funny sometimes that you have to laugh at the way their minds work. Here is the president going about life concentrating on doing what he believes is the right thing for the country during the time he's been given to do it, and the Dems are certain his focus is on them.
It's the Democatic Party/msm side show.
They can't advance their agenda so they attack.
I hope his health will allow him to make it.
I didn't see the address, but young John looks definitely like the active type.
The President is doing his job. If he announced it next week, would they be happier? Was he supposed to wait until September??
The only thing that is real about the Plame affair is that the CIA went "outside" their own people and hired a Dem Operative to go to Niger, that Miller supported the Niger British report and Wilson's report was non conclusive.
Health is the factor...I think he might even step aside after only a few months this session.
Interpret the constitution is a codeword for "wants back alley abortions and segregation!" Run for your lives!
I don't think he was visible to the viewing audience.
What is wrong with being white?
Nothing, if you're a LIBERAL Harvard-educated one.
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