John Roberts is the 17th chief justice of the United States, and most of us barely know him.
The weather headlines overshadowed Roberts’ confirmation hearings, and most people heard little about it. All of a sudden, William Rehnquist has been replaced before an uneducated public.
There wasn’t much of a disagreement between Senators about Roberts, which voted him in by a 77-22 vote. Half the Democrats approved him.
Even if the hurricane hadn’t drawn our attention away from the confirmation hearings, we still probably wouldn’t know much about Roberts. He’s only been on the bench for two years, so he doesn’t have an extensive history that we can dissect.
Although he does seem to be more moderate than his forerunner, many of Roberts’ views line up with Rehnquist’s.
In other words, don’t expect the court to change that much. We don’t know what direction Roberts will take the Supreme Court, but if he follows in Rehnquist’s footsteps, it won’t drastically affect the court.
However, the exciting nomination will be the person who must replace Sandra O’ Connor. Before that judge gets in, we should all try not to let anything lull us away from that appointment.
Otherwise, we’ll be taken off-guard, and it will be far more serious than Roberts’ swearing in.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor Sara McAdory, assistant news editor Wade Patterson, sports editor Ross Dellenger, entertainment editor Tyler Stewart, managing editor Dustin Barnes and editor in chief Elizabeth Crisp.