Republican and Democratic senators presented sharply different conceptions of the proper standard for elevating a judge to the Supreme Court. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who voted against confirmation, said the central issue was whether Roberts is committed to civil rights. "Nominees must earn their confirmation by providing us with full knowledge of their values and convictions they'll bring to decisions that may profoundly affect our progress as a nation toward the ideal of equality," Kennedy said. "Judge Roberts has not done so."
Republicans countered that senators should not explore a nominee's philosophical views. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said: "If we could look at the person before us based on qualifications, character and integrity, and not require them to show an allegiance to a particular case or a cause, it would serve the country well."
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Roberts Defends Legal Career
Chief Justice nominee John Roberts wound up three days of sometimes-contentious Senate testimony by telling wary Democrats that ideologues don't belong on the Supreme Court. He said his record shows he will rely on the law, not personal views.
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Senators in both parties emphasized the gravity of their votes, noting that Roberts could lead the court for decades. "He will have more impact on our lives, in the future of our children's lives, than any of us and all of us combined," said Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who cast a negative vote.
Even as the committee was finishing with Roberts, anxiety over the next nomination was palpable in the hearing room.
Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he had told Bush this week to expect the next nominee's confirmation hearings to be "very contentious," because -- with the balance of the court at stake -- senators will be even more eager to learn views that the candidate inevitably will refuse to divulge. "It's going to produce a lot of angst," Specter said.
Leahy, the panel's ranking Democrat, chastised the president for not being more open to a true exchange of views.
"I hope that this time the president will follow through, share with us his intentions, and even seek our advice before he acts; that little thing called the advice-and-consent clause of the Constitution," Leahy said.
Schumer said in an interview that Democrats made independent decisions about Roberts, while Republicans "are marching in lockstep." Still, he said, "We're walking away from this in a very good place to prepare for the next battle."
