John Roberts: Supreme Court Nominee

By Dave Andrusko

Even a fleeting glance at Judge John Glover Roberts' resume and it's easy to see why his opponents quickly change the subject away from a discussion of qualifications and competency.

After only three years, Roberts graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 1976. Three years later he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Along the way he rose to become managing editor of the Harvard Law Review.

After graduation Roberts clerked for Judge Henry Friendly of the 2nd U.S. Circuit of Appeals. In 1981, he followed this up with a stint as a law clerk for (then) Associate Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist.

Roberts' next stop was at the Justice Department where, in 1981-1982, he was an aide to Attorney General William French Smith. For the next four years, which spanned the first and second terms of President Reagan, Roberts was associate counsel in the White House Counsel's Office.

From 1989-1993 he served as principal deputy solicitor general under President George H.W. Bush. As the government's second-highest lawyer, Roberts argued cases before the Supreme Court. (In his work for the government and in private practice, Roberts has argued before the High Court a total of 39 times.)

In 2001 Roberts was nominated by President George W. Bush for a seat on U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but was stymied by opposition from Senate Democrats. (President Bush?s father had wanted to put Roberts on the same court in 1991, but opposition by Senate Democrats stymied him.)

But the third time proved the charm. On January 7, 2003, President Bush nominated him once again for a seat on what is, by reputation, the nation's second highest court. This time he was confirmed by Senate in May. His old boss, Chief Justice Rehnquist, presided over the swearing-in ceremony the following month.

As a measure of Roberts' reputation, when he was nominated for the appeals court 152 members of the District of Columbia bar sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging his confirmation.