Bush, Conservatives Call for Speedy Confirmation
President Bush and Christian conservatives urged the Senate to quickly begin the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts and to give him a fair hearing on Capitol Hill.
President Bush and Christian conservatives urged the Senate to quickly begin the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts and to give him a fair hearing on Capitol Hill.
Early Wednesday morning, President Bush told reporters “we will push the process forward” and said he believes Roberts should be sworn in before the new court term begins in October.
"I wished him all the best" in the confirmation process, the president said, urging the Senate to "move forward, in a dignified way."
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Christian conservatives in Washington also backed Roberts - a Harvard Law School graduate with impeccably conservative credentials - and urged senators to give him a speedy confirmation.
"Judge Roberts is well-qualified and experienced and he deserves a fair up or down vote. There should be a fair hearing for this fair minded judge,” wrote Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council.
The President introduced the 50-year-old federal appeals court judge to the nation Tuesday night on prime-time television and called him a jurist with a “good heart” who will “strictly apply the Constitution in laws – not legislate from the bench.”
Later today, Roberts will be meeting with leaders in the Senate, which will decide whether he will replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and become the first new Supreme Court member in more than a decade.
Republican senators were overwhelmingly supportive of the nominee.
Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee echoed Bush’s comments as he called for confirmation proceedings that "treat Judge Roberts with dignity and respect" and lead to a yes or no vote before the court's term begins Oct 3.
Democrats were more cautious, but there were no immediate predictions of a filibuster.
"The president has chosen someone with suitable legal credentials, but that is not the end of our inquiry," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.
Christian advocates against abortion and same-sex marriage hailed the choice and praised Bush for “keeping his campaign promise” by selecting a “strict constitutionalist.”
“We are believing that President Bush kept his campaign promise today when he nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court,” wrote Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America Tuesday. “Now that President Bush has nominated Judge Roberts to the Supreme Court, it is critical that pro-life and pro-family Americans speak up and have their voices heard in this process.”
However, they warned against raising victory flags before the confirmation battle is over.
"There's no doubt there will be a battle. There's no question about that," said Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council to the Associated Press. "But I think it's one that can be won and I think it's one that will be won."
Perkins added that this is a watershed moment for the court.
"The court has been shifting to the left over the last 40 years, and this clearly would shift the court back to one that understands its role as being a body that interprets the law, not makes the law," said Perkins. "Clearly it will bring a philosophical shift to the court."
