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The Daily OrangeStudents, faculty share differing opinions of Roberts' nomination
By Zachary Kineke
Posted: 9/18/05, 10:21 PM EST Section: News
The selection of a chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States occurs infrequently, but this past week Syracuse University students and U.S. citizens all over the country have been able to see history in the making.
Judge John G. Roberts Jr., President George W. Bush's nominee for the position of chief justice, received questions at his Senate confirmation hearings, causing controversy on his evasion of several questions and refusal to voice a clear stand on the oft-disputed abortion case (italic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Roe v. Wade(italic!!!!!!!!).
Keith Bybee, the Michael O. Sawyer chair of constitutional law and politics at the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Citizenship at Syracuse University, offered his opinion of the hearings.
"(Roberts) is a smart pick for the Bush administration," he said. "He's clearly conservative and is trusted by conservative policymakers ... and in his long legal career he can distance himself from anything controversial.
"(Not answering questions) is standard of confirmation hearings."
He said Roberts' number of unanswered questions was comparable to Sandra Day O'Connor's, the last justice to go through these hearings.
Students have varying opinions in regards to this appointment.
"He seems very moderate," said Neil Wrona, a freshman communications major. "He's just being smart."
Wrona said he thought that Sen. Joseph R. Biden, the Democratic representative from Delaware, was unnecessarily attacking Roberts for not posing an opinion on the issue of abortion.
"He's just a young representative of George Bush ... a way for Bush to get his ideas into the court for a long time," said Marisa Miller, a sophomore environmental biology major in the State University of New York and College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
She said she believes Roberts evaded questions to avoid casting a negative light on either himself or Bush.
"He seems like a good man, but it's hard to tell because he's not answering a lot of questions," said Matt Thomashefski, a freshman biochemistry major. "But (Sandra Day O'Connor) didn't have to answer, so why should Roberts have to? I would like to know what he thinks, though."
Bybee said the issue of judicial selection is related to why Roberts refused to answer questions.
"We want them to protect our rights and be accountable to the people," he said, "but we want them to be open-minded and rule impartially ... we want both these things at once, but we can't have them."
While it makes little difference to some students how the highest level of the U.S. judicial branch is chosen, others have strong opinions.
"I think it goes through the grape vine ... but the Supreme Court is powerful and puts its foot down on so many issues," Miller said. "It'd be nice to have a say in it."
Thomashevski said he disagreed.
"If they want to change it, the legislative branch could pass an amendment," he said. "But this is how the founding fathers wanted it."
Judge John G. Roberts Jr., President George W. Bush's nominee for the position of chief justice, received questions at his Senate confirmation hearings, causing controversy on his evasion of several questions and refusal to voice a clear stand on the oft-disputed abortion case (italic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Roe v. Wade(italic!!!!!!!!).
Keith Bybee, the Michael O. Sawyer chair of constitutional law and politics at the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Citizenship at Syracuse University, offered his opinion of the hearings.
"(Roberts) is a smart pick for the Bush administration," he said. "He's clearly conservative and is trusted by conservative policymakers ... and in his long legal career he can distance himself from anything controversial.
"(Not answering questions) is standard of confirmation hearings."
He said Roberts' number of unanswered questions was comparable to Sandra Day O'Connor's, the last justice to go through these hearings.
Students have varying opinions in regards to this appointment.
"He seems very moderate," said Neil Wrona, a freshman communications major. "He's just being smart."
Wrona said he thought that Sen. Joseph R. Biden, the Democratic representative from Delaware, was unnecessarily attacking Roberts for not posing an opinion on the issue of abortion.
"He's just a young representative of George Bush ... a way for Bush to get his ideas into the court for a long time," said Marisa Miller, a sophomore environmental biology major in the State University of New York and College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
She said she believes Roberts evaded questions to avoid casting a negative light on either himself or Bush.
"He seems like a good man, but it's hard to tell because he's not answering a lot of questions," said Matt Thomashefski, a freshman biochemistry major. "But (Sandra Day O'Connor) didn't have to answer, so why should Roberts have to? I would like to know what he thinks, though."
Bybee said the issue of judicial selection is related to why Roberts refused to answer questions.
"We want them to protect our rights and be accountable to the people," he said, "but we want them to be open-minded and rule impartially ... we want both these things at once, but we can't have them."
While it makes little difference to some students how the highest level of the U.S. judicial branch is chosen, others have strong opinions.
"I think it goes through the grape vine ... but the Supreme Court is powerful and puts its foot down on so many issues," Miller said. "It'd be nice to have a say in it."
Thomashevski said he disagreed.
"If they want to change it, the legislative branch could pass an amendment," he said. "But this is how the founding fathers wanted it."
