Hopefully Roberts Will Be What Conservatives Have Hoped For

Roberts Sails Toward Confirmation
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press Writer Tue
Sep 27, 3:27 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee John Roberts may be on his way to easy Senate confirmation as the next chief justice, yet senators are focusing just as much — if not more — on President Bush's next nominee for the nation's top court.

Roberts' confirmation as the 17th chief justice of the United States and the successor to the late William H. Rehnquist is preordained, with more than two-thirds of the 100-member Senate already indicating plans to vote for him. But once he is confirmed later this week, the White House is expected to nominate someone to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, one of two women on the high court.

Bush said Monday he'll "pick a person who can do the job. But I am mindful that diversity is one of the strengths of the country."

The president is under pressure from many quarters — including his wife — to pick a woman or a minority. Democrats are trying to use floor speeches to pressure him into picking a mainstream conservative instead of a hard-line conservative.

"I encourage President Bush to nominate someone for Justice O'Connor's seat who will further unite the citizens of our great nation, rather than drive a political wedge between them," said Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota.

Senate floor debate on the Roberts nomination began Monday and was resuming Tuesday.

Johnson is one of 13 Democrats on record as supporting Roberts. All 55 GOP senators are expected to vote for him.

Only time will tell how good Roberts is. Hopefully he will be a justice at least as conservative as Rehnquist. I still want Bush to appoint Janice Rogers Brown for the next vacancy.

Full Story: Roberts Approval

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