One step closer to the Bush dream, an America that stands by the
principles
of the dark age.

Bush Nominates Roberts for Supreme Court By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated
Press
Writer
6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - 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."

If confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, the 50-year-old Roberts
would succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has long been
a
swing vote on a court divided narrowly on issues such as abortion,
affirmative action, states' rights and the death penalty.

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."

The Harvard-educated Roberts learned of his selection in a lunchtime phone
call from the president, according to administration officials. White
House
aides arranged for a prime time formal announcement as they sought the
widest possible audience for a president making his first pick to the
court - and the nation's first in more than a decade.

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

Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), 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 (news, bio, voting
record),
D-Iowa.

The abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America immediately announced
its
opposition to Roberts.

Bush has said he wants his pick confirmed and seated on the bench by the
time the court convenes for its new term in October. Hearings are likely
in
late August or early September.

Roberts has already won Senate confirmation once before - he was approved
in
2003 when the president named him to his current post on the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

His professional resume also includes a turn as clerk to William H.
Rehnquist, who is 80 and battling thyroid cancer but recently affirmed his
intention to remain as chief justice as long as his health allows.

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 court's conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an
abortion ... finds no support in the text, structure or history of the
Constitution," the brief said.

In his defense, Roberts told senators during his 2003 confirmation hearing
that he would be guided by legal precedent. "Roe v. Wade is the settled
law
of the land. ... There is nothing in my personal views that would prevent
me
from fully and faithfully applying that precedent."

While he doesn't have national name recognition, Roberts is a Washington
insider who has worked over the years at the White House, Justice
Department
and in private practice.

In the Reagan administration, Roberts was special assistant to the
attorney
general and associate counsel to the president. Between 1989 and 1993, he
was principal deputy solicitor general, the government's second-highest
lawyer, who argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was Rehnquist who presided over the swearing-in ceremony when Roberts
took his seat on the appeals court for the District of Columbia. It took a
while for Roberts to get on the bench. He was nominated for the court in
1992 by the first President Bush and again by the president in 2001. The
nominations died in the Senate both times. He was renominated in January
2003 and joined the court in June 2003.

Roberts' nomination to the appellate court attracted support from both
sides
of the ideological spectrum. Some 126 members of the District of Columbia
Bar, including officials of the Clinton administration, signed a letter
urging his confirmation. The letter said Roberts was one of the "very best
and most highly respected appellate lawyers in the nation" and that his
reputation as a "brilliant writer and oral advocate" was well deserved.

"He has been a judge for only two years and authored about 40 opinions,
only
three of which have drawn any dissent," said Wendy Long, a lawyer
representing the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network, adding that
his
record appears to suit Bush's desire to nominate a judge who will apply
the
law, as written, and leave policy decisions to the elected branches of
government.

Advocacy groups on the left and the right already are gearing up for a
fierce lobbying campaign in advertisements on television, radio,
newspapers
and the Internet. The battle is expected to cost tens of millions of
dollars
in spending by private groups.

Roberts was one of five prospective nominees whom Bush met with between
Thursday and Saturday, according to a senior administration official who
provided details of the selection.

This official said Bush's meeting with Roberts was in the sitting area of
the residence so that they could get to know each other in a comfortable
setting. The president's dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, were under foot.

To meet with Bush and his advisers, Roberts shuttled back and forth across
the Atlantic from London where he was teaching a class.

Bush did not ask Roberts any questions about abortion, gay marriage or
other
specific issues that might come before the Supreme Court, the official
said.