John Roberts Sworn in as U.S. Chief Justice

Law

Roberts' Confirmation Hearings Conclude()  

Chief Justice nominee John Roberts hugs his wife Jane on Capitol Hill.

September 15, 2005 The Senate Judiciary Committee concluded hearings Thursday on the nomination of John Roberts to be the next chief justice of the United States. In his final day before the panel, Roberts did not provide any additional insight into his views, saying his loyalty was only to the rule of law.

Summary

Law

Senators Seek Last Assurances from Roberts()  

September 15, 2005 Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee grill chief justice nominee John Roberts about his views on issues from cloning to discrimination. The morning session completed nearly 20 hours of testimony from Roberts over four days.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Law

Roberts Hearings: Thursday's Audio Highlights()  

September 15, 2005 The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning finished the public questioning of Chief Justice nominee John Roberts. After three rounds of questioning, Democrats remained frustrated with Roberts' lack of direct answers.

Summary

Law

Roberts Offers Clues, Avoids Direct Answers()  

Chief justice nominee John Roberts listens to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter.

September 14, 2005 Supreme Court nominee John Roberts continues to avoid direct answers but gives some tantalizing clues about how he will handle his role if — as appears an increasing certainty — he is confirmed.

Summary

Law

Roberts Hearings: Wednesday's Audio Highlights()  

Chief Justice nominee John Roberts (left) with Sen. Biden

September 14, 2005 The Senate Judiciary Committee began a second full day of testimony from Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. During Wednesday's hearings, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) raised concerns over the growing trend among some justices to cite foreign law to buttress their arguments. The issue has become a divisive one on the Supreme Court and among Republicans who object to the trend.

Summary

Law

Privacy, Precedents Dominate Roberts Session()  

John Roberts

September 13, 2005 John G. Roberts Jr., appearing before a Senate panel considering his nomination to be the new Chief Justice of the United States, answered questions about the right to privacy, the importance of precedence and Roe v. Wade in the opening round of questioning.

Summary

Law

Roberts Resists Specifics in Senate Session()  

Chief justice nominee John Roberts answers questions about abortion rights from Sen. Specter.

September 13, 2005 Chief justice nominee John Roberts takes questions from senators seeking definitive answers on issues from abortion to the environment to stopping a war. But Roberts refused to say whether, for example, he would vote to overturn or restrict abortion rights.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Law

Senators Prod a Stoic Roberts()  

September 13, 2005 John Roberts held forth on a range of topics Tuesday — but refused to detail his views on cases that may appear before the Supreme Court. Robert Siegel talks with law professor Douglas Kmiec of at Pepperdine University and Jeffrey Rosen, legal affairs editor at The New Republic.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Politics

Roberts Hearings: Tuesday's Audio Highlights()  

Judge John Roberts answers questions

September 13, 2005 On the Senate Judiciary Committee's second day of hearings on the nomination of John Roberts for U.S. chief justice, Sen. Arlen Specter questioned Roberts on the issue of abortion rights, while Sen. Edward Kennedy suggested that Roberts has a "mean-spirited view" of civil rights and anti-discrimination law.

Summary

more John Roberts Sworn in as U.S. Chief Justice >

Podcast + RSS Feeds

Podcast RSS

  • Law
     
  • John Roberts Sworn in as U.S. Chief Justice
     
 
 

NPR thanks our sponsors

Become an NPR Sponsor

John Roberts is sworn in as chief justice at the White House
Reuters

John Roberts is sworn in as chief justice at the White House, Sept. 29, 2005.

In Depth

Hear highlights from the Senate hearings on Roberts, and listen to a nightly, 50-minute NPR special analyzing each day's events:

Roberts Hearings Podcast

Listen to a nightly one-hour podcast of hearing highlights and analysis from NPR. Starts Monday, Sept. 12.

podcast icon

Roberts Before the High Court

Listen to NPR coverage of three cases that Roberts has argued before the Supreme Court: