Free Republic

 The stars must have been aligned that January morning in 1955 when John G. Roberts Jr. was born in Buffalo, N.Y., because almost everything thereafter led him straight to the Supreme Court of the U.S. He graduated from Harvard College, then excelled at Harvard Law School as well as in his work at the U.S. Attorney General's office. It was there that our paths first crossed, for he helped prepare briefing papers for my confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court in 1981. He was later a successful litigator and partner at the Washington firm of Hogan & Hartson. He argued...

JOHN ROBERTS HAS SAT IN the center seat of the Supreme Court a mere five months. Conventional wisdom holds that it takes four or five years for a new justice to hit his stride. Even so, Roberts's work stands out in a Washington whose daily manufacture, it seems, is another fight between an irresponsible Congress and a president with cratering job-approval numbers. If you want to see excellence in government, consider the brief tenure of our new chief justice.Under Roberts the Court has decided 39 cases. Roberts himself has written three opinions. Each was unanimous, the most recent being last...

ON THE MORNING PRESIDENT BUSH nominated Samuel Alito to become the fifth Catholic on the Supreme Court, I was sitting on an airplane next to a joke-teller, one of those people whose idea of travel is the chance to pass along to strangers all the latest gags. "So," he began, patting his jovial belly, "have you heard this one? A doctor, a lawyer, and a priest are on a ship when it hits a rock and begins to sink. 'What about the women and children?' the doctor worries as the three pile into the only lifeboat. 'Screw the women and...

WASHINGTON -- The other day a lawyer arguing in the U.S. Supreme Court made a mistake and addressed Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as "Justice Roberts." The late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, amiable in private but jealously protective of the dignity of his office, likely would have corrected him. Chief Justice Roberts let it slide. The refusal to take umbrage was consistent with the new chief justice's style: supremely confident in the court's center chair but also -- perhaps because of that confidence -- relaxed, good-humored and often witty. During oral arguments on Oct. 31, a light bulb...

 THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS THE authority to stop Oregon physicians from using prescription drugs to implement that state's unique program of physician-assisted suicide. But the administration's effort to use an ambiguous federal drug statute to undermine Oregon's assisted suicide law is a betrayal of conservative legal principles. Gonzales v. Oregon, argued before the Supreme Court earlier this month, may give an early signal about the commitment of the emerging Roberts Court to those principles. And the Court's decision could have unexpected implications for a range of other issues, including future policies about abortion.Like the administration, I believe that the people...

WASHINGTON — Taking his seat as the nation's highest jurist, Chief Justice John G. Roberts (search) seemed comfortable and confident as the court's 2005-2006 session began Monday. Sitting atop the same leather chair used by his mentor, the late William H. Rehnquist, (Roberts promised to ensure equal justice. Roberts is no stranger to the high court. As an appellate lawyer, he argued three dozen cases before the court, and is familiar with his colleagues who previously sat in judgment of him. But the new chief's first day didn't offer the most exciting docket. The court heard arguments in IBP Inc....

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts, meet party girl Anna Nicole Smith. While that might provide the most entertainment, life-and-death issues will captivate the Supreme Court when it convenes its 2005-2006 term on Monday. Justices will tackle the death penalty and DNA. They will weigh physician-assisted suicide and impediments to abortion. They will review law schools that resist Pentagon recruiting, and states that lure businesses with tax breaks. The court's challenges, moreover, will extend beyond the strict legal questions embodied in the 48 cases that justices have already agreed to hear. Several dozen additional cases will fill out the court's...

AS JOHN G. ROBERTS Jr. took the oath as chief justice of the United States on Thursday, the nation's eyes turned to the next vacancy on the Supreme Court. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the swing vote on myriad issues, will join her colleagues when they convene on the first Monday in October. But O'Connor has announced her retirement, and agreed to stay on the bench until President Bush names a replacement. The 78-22 vote for Roberts -- which included 22 Democrats -- was an affirmation of his impeccable legal credentials as well as his ability to persuade many skeptics on...

WASHINGTON – This much is known for sure: His favorite movie is "Doctor Zhivago." After that, surprisingly little is known about John Roberts, who is about to take up the reins of one of the most powerful institutions in American government as the 17th chief justice of the United States. Will he vote to overturn the abortion precedent Roe v. Wade? Some legal analysts say yes, others no.Will he favor states' power over Congress's efforts to pass federal laws under the Commerce Clause?Does he have a long-term strategy to move the court to the right, or will he gravitate to...

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT 22 Democratic senators voted to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. as the 17th chief justice of the United States. That's more than anyone would have imagined just a few months ago, when the talk in Washington was all about filibusters and nuclear options. The bad news is that 22 Democratic senators voted against Roberts. That's far more than the handful of Republicans who voted against Bill Clinton's two Supreme Court appointees, Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Washington's recent polarization suggests things could have been worse. But it is still alarming that 22 Democrats...

The Supreme Court of the United States is the ultimate arbiter of our Constitution and, as such, it is the final protector of individual rights and liberties in this great nation. So when we vote to confirm a justice for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, we have an awesome responsibility to get it right. And when we vote to confirm the Chief Justice of the United States, we have an even greater responsibility, because the stakes are even higher. The Chief Justice sets the tone for the Court and, through leadership, influences Court decisions in ways both subtle...

WASHINGTON, September 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - John Roberts was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court this afternoon after being approved in a 78-22 Senate vote this morning. All 55 Senate Republicans voted for Roberts and were joined by 22 Democrats and Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont). 22 Democrats voted "No," following the lead of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada). Addressing the gathered guests for the swearing in ceremony, President George W. Bush stressed the importance of the event saying, "The nomination power is one of the most serious responsibilities of a President. When a President chooses a Supreme...

"[Justice Ginsburg] Said She Agreed With A Position Taken By Federal Judge John G. Roberts During His Confirmation Hearing To Replace The Late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.  Roberts Invoked Ginsburg When He Refused To Speculate On How He Would Rule In Cases Before The Court." (Estes Thompson, "Justice Ginsburg Says She'd Prefer Another Woman On Court," The Associated Press, 9/29/05) Ginsburg: "Judge Roberts Was Unquestionably Right ... My Rule Was I Will Not Answer A Question That Attempts To Project How I Will Rule In A Case That Might Come Before The Court." (Estes Thompson, "Justice Ginsburg Says She'd...

Yesterday, Michael Medved had Ann Coulter on as one of his guests. He asked her about her opposition to John Roberts as Chief Justice of SCOTUS. Michael noted that Roberts would probably receive at least 75 votes. Ann replied that that was the problem. She wanted someone who received only 51 votes. She wanted someone who drove the liberals crazy. Now I wasn't aware that that was the purpose of SCOTUS judges. I thought their purpose was to interpret the law. Well, as you know, Roberts was confirmed with 78 votes. It will be interesting to see what Ann says...

The "Gang of 14" senators who brokered the end to judicial filibusters has so far stuck together in unanimously supporting the nomination of federal Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to be the next Supreme Court chief justice. That stamp of approval, Republican leaders say, paves the way for a smoother confirmation of the next Supreme Court nominee. "The process has been handled very well," Majority Whip Mitch McConnell told reporters yesterday. "The outcome will be largely bipartisan. I think that's very good for the Senate, because in many ways the Senate itself was on trial here." Specifically, Republican leaders say,...