‘Full, fair’ hearings pledged for court nominee

updated 6:31 p.m. ET July 20, 2005

WASHINGTON - The possibility of a Democratic filibuster against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts in the Republican-controlled Senate seemed to all but disappear Wednesday, as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee pledged that Roberts will receive “full, fair and complete” hearings on his appointment.

While refusing to commit before Roberts’ confirmation hearing, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he hadn’t heard any senators in his party mention filibustering President Bush’s replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

“Do I believe this is a filibuster-able nominee? The answer would be no, not at this time I don’t,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a strong abortion-rights supporter and a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee.

‘Gang of 14’ meets Thursday
Several of the seven GOP members of the so-called “Gang of 14” who brokered a deal over judicial filibusters indicated they thought a filibuster against Roberts would be unwarranted. Most have already praised Roberts, and their support would make it almost impossible for Democrats to carry out a filibuster. The fourteen senators will meet Thursday morning to talk about Roberts.

“I think that Judge Roberts deserves an up-or-down vote, and I hope that the other members of that group agree with me,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

BIO: Judge John G. Roberts Jr. Currently: U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Born: Jan. 27, 1955 Education: Harvard University undergraduate degree, B.A., 1976; Harvard Law School, JD, 1979. Career: Law clerk, Judge Henry J. Friendly, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1979-1980; law clerk, Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist, 1980-81; special assistant to U.S. Attorney William French Smith, 1981; associate counsel to President Reagan, 1982-86; member of Hogan & Hartson's Appellate Practice Group, 1986-1989; principal deputy solicitor general, 1989-1993; head of Hogan & Hartson Appellate Practice Group, 1973-2004; U.S. Court of Appeals 2003-present Noteworthy: Roberts had been in line to join the appeals court in 1992, but his nomination during the first Bush administration died in a Democratic-controlled Senate. He has generally avoided weighing in on disputed social issues. Abortion rights groups, however, have maintained that he tried during his days as a lawyer in the first Bush administration to overturn Roe v. Wade. Source: MSNBC research

Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he preferred to wait until September to begin hearings, though that would give the Senate just four weeks to complete all action on Roberts.

“And I can assure you that the hearings will be full, fair and complete,” he told reporters in the Capitol.

Specter hinted that he may allow only three or four witnesses at Roberts’ confirmation hearing, and that he doesn’t see it going beyond three or four days.

“But we’re not going to rush it,” he said. “We’re going to take whatever time is needed.”

Abortion rights organizations declared their opposition to Roberts, a 50-year-old federal appeals court judge. But as yet, there were no outright calls for his rejection from any of the Senate’s 44 Democrats.

Bush: Get it done by Oct. 3
President Bush wants the confirmation process fast-tracked. “I urge the Senate to rise to the occasion, provide a fair and civil process and to have Judge Roberts in place before the next court session begins on October the third,” said Bush the morning after he tapped the Harvard-educated lawyer with a sterling resume and impeccable conservative credentials.

If confirmed, Roberts would replace O’Connor. She has frequently been a swing vote in recent years on issues ranging from abortion to affirmative action and states rights.

For her part, O'Connor says she's disappointed Bush named a man to replace her. At a judicial conference in Spokane, Wash., she said she's disappointed to see the number of women on the court drop by 50 percent. But she's not disappointed in Roberts himself, calling him “first rate.”

Because of O'Connor's pivotal role on the court, Roberts’ nomination is a potential political flash point in the Senate and beyond.

Capitol Hill tour
Roberts had breakfast with Bush at the White House, but did not speak to reporters. He saved his talking for later in the day, when the White House scheduled the first in a series of courtesy calls on senators who will ultimately decide whether he takes his place on the high court.

His first stop was in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who has pledged to meet Bush’s goal of completing the confirmation proceedings before the court’s new term begins on Oct. 3.

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