A judicial committee will interview chief justice nominee John Roberts Monday to decide whether to confirm President Bush’s nomination, possibly filling one of two positions now vacant on the Supreme Court.
Sandra Day O’Connor stepped down from the position several weeks ago, and Chief Justice John Rehnquist died over the weekend. President Bush originally nominated Roberts for O’Connor’s position, but after Rehnquist’s death, Bush nominated Roberts for the chief justice position.
“It’s been such a long time since there’s been a vacancy on the court,” associate professor of political science and public administration Diane Wall said.
When a judicial nominee is reviewed the event is not televised, but this event will be broadcast nationally on television. The citizens of this country are more aware now than ever how much decisions like the one the appointment of Roberts will affect the nation, Wall said.
“There’s a lot of tension between ideology on this nomination,” Wall said.
Many people are concerned with how Robert’s appointment will affect issues such as a woman’s right to choose, the availability of appeals for the death penalty and the right to privacy, among many others. Those who have concerns feel Roberts is either too conservative or not conservative enough, Wall said.
The judicial committee has an important decision to make, College Democrats president Matt Holmes said. They must confirm a man who will be leading the court, and this decision will have a major impact on court decisions in the future. Roberts should be held to a higher standard.
With Roberts now being nominated for chief justice, his confirmation be more difficult, Wall said.
“Hopefully, the president and John Roberts will provide all the information that the senators request,” Holmes said. “If [Roberts] starts to avoid answering questions, then [the judicial committee] will question him with a little more ferociousness.”
If Roberts is confirmed for the chief justice position, chairman of College Republicans Stephen Horn said it would not have such a huge effect on the court. His nomination comes as a shock to many people, but his political stance is not much different from Rehnquist’s views. Many key issues will be affected, but a more drastic change would come with the appointment of someone with a more liberal stance because their appointment will allow for some key issues to be confirmed. With two open positions, Bush will appoint two conservative people, Horn said
“Bush wouldn’t appoint anyone to that position that didn’t share his same beliefs and value system,” Horn said. “Anyone whom Bush entrusts with that position is certainly fine with me.”
The hearings will be tough, but the vote will most likely end with the confirmation of Roberts as chief justice, Horn said.
O’Connor’s position will be more important because whoever the committee confirms for that position will decide the majority for the court, Holmes said.
It doesn’t matter who the person is, Wall said; what matters is how that person interprets the Constitution.