Welcome to the John Roberts Era
John Roberts Jr. was confirmed by the Senate to be the seventeenth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court on Sept. 28. Shortly there after, with President Bush present, Roberts was sworn in by Justice John Paul Stevens.
To many, Roberts' confirmation was a forgone conclusion, even though many Democrats opposed him. With a commanding majority of 78-22, Roberts will be the youngest Chief Justice since John Marshall who was sworn in 1801 at the age of 45.
The installment of Chief Justice Roberts is viewed by most Republicans as a glowing success. They are looking for him to follow their agenda and promote their ideology, from the bench. Whether Roberts will actually do this or not is yet to be seen, but the Republicans now turn to the next nominee who will replace Sandra Day O'Connor, a reported important swing vote.
The Republicans wish to find, as a replacement for O'Connor, a nominee who will shift the court more solidly in the Republican perspective, advocating Republican ideals. The Democrats are focused on keeping the current balance of the court which has been responsible for many five to four votes on a multitude of cases.
The new session of the Supreme Court opened on Oct. 2, with Roberts at the center seat and O'Connor around till her replacement is confirmed. President Bush who is very proud of his nomination success was present during the opening of this year's session. All await the outcome of Chief Justice Robert's first session so an early assessment of his job and actual position can be created through which he will be judged in the future.
Roberts insinuated during his confirmation hearings that he may want to increase the number of cases heard by the court. This would be in the opposite direction was the recent trend lead by Roberts' predecessor, the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Rehnquist also liked efficiency and had an aversion to discussing too long and with second guessing over cases. Roberts may be more willing to have more open and longer discussions in their twice weekly meetings than Rehnquist preferred.
This may result in the court relaxing in its some times heated debates from on the bench, since their time on the bench was the only time they had to discuss at length about issues not covered in Rehnquist's conferences.
John Roberts appears to have a long career ahead of him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, considering that he is only 50 years old. No one is certain as to what direction he will lead the court, though some would like to hope in one direction and fear the other. Roberts is a clearly competent legal mind and knows the constitution and the precedents set by prior cases.
To many, Roberts' confirmation was a forgone conclusion, even though many Democrats opposed him. With a commanding majority of 78-22, Roberts will be the youngest Chief Justice since John Marshall who was sworn in 1801 at the age of 45.
The installment of Chief Justice Roberts is viewed by most Republicans as a glowing success. They are looking for him to follow their agenda and promote their ideology, from the bench. Whether Roberts will actually do this or not is yet to be seen, but the Republicans now turn to the next nominee who will replace Sandra Day O'Connor, a reported important swing vote.
The Republicans wish to find, as a replacement for O'Connor, a nominee who will shift the court more solidly in the Republican perspective, advocating Republican ideals. The Democrats are focused on keeping the current balance of the court which has been responsible for many five to four votes on a multitude of cases.
The new session of the Supreme Court opened on Oct. 2, with Roberts at the center seat and O'Connor around till her replacement is confirmed. President Bush who is very proud of his nomination success was present during the opening of this year's session. All await the outcome of Chief Justice Robert's first session so an early assessment of his job and actual position can be created through which he will be judged in the future.
Roberts insinuated during his confirmation hearings that he may want to increase the number of cases heard by the court. This would be in the opposite direction was the recent trend lead by Roberts' predecessor, the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Rehnquist also liked efficiency and had an aversion to discussing too long and with second guessing over cases. Roberts may be more willing to have more open and longer discussions in their twice weekly meetings than Rehnquist preferred.
This may result in the court relaxing in its some times heated debates from on the bench, since their time on the bench was the only time they had to discuss at length about issues not covered in Rehnquist's conferences.
John Roberts appears to have a long career ahead of him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, considering that he is only 50 years old. No one is certain as to what direction he will lead the court, though some would like to hope in one direction and fear the other. Roberts is a clearly competent legal mind and knows the constitution and the precedents set by prior cases.
posted by Joey Bee at 7:46 PM
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