Here comes the judge...

Background on Judge John Roberts

Here's a bit of information to help you draw your own conclusions regarding President Bush's Supreme Court pick, Judge John G. Roberts, Jr.

Official bio from the CADC:
- Judge Roberts was confirmed by the Senate to a judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on May 8, 2003, and sworn in on June 2 by Chief Justice Rehnquist. Judge Roberts graduated from Harvard College in 1976, and received his law degree in 1979 from Harvard Law School. Following graduation from law school, he served as law clerk for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the following year to then-Associate Justice Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Roberts served as Special Assistant to United States Attorney General William French Smith from 1981 to 1982 and Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1986. He then joined Hogan & Hartson where he developed a civil litigation practice, with an emphasis on appellate matters. From 1989 to 1993 he served as Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States. He returned to Hogan & Hartson in 1993. At the time of his confirmation, Judge Roberts was the senior partner in charge of Hogan & Hartson's appellate practice. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.
- 2003 Financial Disclosure Report
- President Bush and Judge Roberts attended Harvard University at the same time. Bush graduated from Harvard Business School in 1975 while Roberts graduated Harvard College in 1976
- Served only two years as a judge at the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before being appointed by George W. Bush, Roberts worked for Hogan and Hartson as a senior partner drawing in a salary in excess of $1 million per year.
- As deputy solicitor general, Roberts filed a discretionary amicus brief (friend of the court brief) in support of Operation Rescue, a group that blocked access to abortion clinics on a regular basis.
- During his brief time as a federal judge, Roberts wrote the appellate brief that supported the arrest of a 12 year-old girl for eating French fries on the Washington subway (Hedgepeth v. WMATA)
. . . more to come.

My thanks to Shane Corey at LP HQ for this information - F2S