John Roberts was sworn in as the 17th chief justice of the United States on Thursday, taking his oath at a White House ceremony attended by President Bush and other justices of the Supreme Court. Roberts succeeds the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died earlier this month. Rehnquist was the sole survivor of the Roe vs. Wade court and was a vocal opponent of Roe, a decision he voted against in 1973.
As expected, all 55 Senate Republicans voted for Roberts and were joined by 22 Democrats and Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont). Twenty-two Democrats voted "No," following the lead of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).
"Judge Roberts deserved unanimous confirmation by the Senate and the fact that he didn't get it is further proof of how the left is politicizing the judiciary," said Jan LaRue, chief counsel for Concerned Women for America. "Some chose to jump off a political cliff by joining hands with the die-hard abortion, gay rights and environmental groups to oppose this supremely qualified judge."
Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, added, "Rehnquist understood that a faithful interpretation of the Constitution would produce an abortion-free America. Today, his replacement, John Roberts, has been given a mandate to stand true to the original intent of the Founding Fathers by restoring the rights of personhood to pre-born children – ending abortion in America."
Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America, said after today's vote, "Christian Coalition is pleased that the United States Senate confirmed Chief Justice Roberts by such a wide margin. We believe that Chief Justice Roberts is in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and will respect the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the land, and this is what President Bush promised during his presidential campaigns. We are confident that President Bush will nominate to replace Justice O'Connor someone who will not legislate from the bench and who will revere the Constitution."
President Bush has a second opportunity to appoint a nominee to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Bush has gained the trust of the American people by appointing an exceptional candidate in Roberts and the fine judges nominated to lower federal courts. Roberts laid the foundation for the next candidate by staying true to his role as a judge and refusing to make political promises in exchange for confirmation. CWA is confident that the President will name the best-qualified constitutionalist to replace O'Connor, regardless of sex, race or ethnicity.
"Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), is whipping Democrats into irrational hysteria by demanding that they 'absolutely' should be prepared to filibuster, hold unlimited debate and prevent an up-or-down vote if the President's next nominee is someone they find unacceptably 'ideological,'" LaRue concluded. "For Dean, that means anyone who thinks the Constitution shouldn't be replaced by Dean's left-of-the universe policies."
Update: I might add my opinion that Roberts' confirmation is encouraging but not the great victory that some claim. More details here.
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