President Nominates John Roberts to Supreme Court
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 7/19/2005
President Bush named D.C. Circuit Judge John Roberts Tuesday to replace retiring Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor.Civil rights advocates voiced serious concern about the proposed elevation of Roberts to the high Court.
Expressing disappointment that the president had chosen the "politics of conflict and division over bipartisan consensus," Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), stated, "While Judge Roberts may not have been on the Rev. James Dobson's short list of pre-approved nominees, let's be clear - John Roberts is no mainstream judge."
Instead, Henderson said, Roberts might well be "a Justice Scalia or Thomas in O'Connor's robes."
LCCR urged senators to conduct a thorough and probing review of Roberts's record, examining his "judicial philosophy in every important area of concern to the American people."
"As much as anything, the Senate needs to get a firmer grasp on Judge Roberts' judicial philosophy," Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron said. "His limited judicial experience, coupled with his work at the Justice Department in the Reagan and Bush I administrations, send some distressing signals. Furthermore, there remain many unanswered questions about his views on critical issues."
Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women's Law Center, said, "What we do know about Judge Roberts's record raises serious concerns. He has repeatedly refused to say whether he believes in a constitutional right to privacy, or whether that right encompasses a woman's right to choose. He has advanced legal positions that are hostile to women's legal rights, including Title IX."
