No, he said he supported Roberts but his first choice would’ve been Mike Luttig.
Yes, that was his response in 2016.
In 2005 he wrote:
[In the op-ed Cruz calls Roberts brilliant, adding, Judge Roberts is a lawyers lawyer. And that matters immensely, especially for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Cruz concludes the op-ed writing, The Senate should confirm him swiftly.]
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/14/3033551/