John Roberts was sworn in as the 17th chief justice of the United States on Thursday, enabling President Bush to put his stamp on the Supreme Court for decades to come, even as he prepares to name a second nominee to the nine-member court.
The White House swearing-in ceremony took place three hours after the Senate voted 78 to 22 to confirm Roberts. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, opposed the nomination, while Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., voted for it. All 55 Republicans, half the 44 Democrats and independent Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont voted yes.
The vote reflected the gap between many Senate Democrats and the liberal groups that strongly opposed Roberts and are important to the party’s base. Senators in both parties predicted a much more bruising fight over Bush’s upcoming choice to replace centrist justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Liberal activists said they expect more spirited opposition from rank-and-file Democrats, but some Republicans said the relative ease of Roberts’ confirmation suggests that opponents may find it difficult to block anyone picked by Bush.
Roberts, 50, will take the justices’ seat that his mentor, the late William Rehnquist, held for 19 years when the Supreme Court opens its new session on Monday.
“The Senate has confirmed a man with an astute mind and a kind heart,” Bush said at the swearing-in. Roberts “will be prudent in exercising judicial power, firm in defending judicial independence and, above all, a faithful guardian of the Constitution.”
Roberts, who was a lawyer in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, and later an appellate court judge, drew rave reviews from many senators for his encyclopedic knowledge of constitutional law and his smooth answers during two days of Senate hearings this month.
Liberals complained that he dodged too many questions, including those meant to reveal his beliefs about abortion and other contentious issues.
“The pivotal appointment is the next one,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who opposed Roberts. “The comparison obviously is with O’Connor,” she said, as opposed to the reliably conservative Rehnquist. Asked how much she feared Bush will name someone more conservative than Roberts, she replied: “Very. On a scale of one to 10? Eight and a half.”
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