September 29, 2005
John Roberts Becomes Chief Justice of the United States
John Roberts, a conservative jurist who faced three straight days of questioning from skeptical Democratic senators, was sworn in as the nation's 17th chief justice Thursday only hours after winning Senate approval. Kwame Holman provides a report.

September 22, 2005
Committee Sends Roberts Nomination to Full Senate
In a 13-5 vote Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended that Judge John Roberts' nomination to serve as chief justice of the United States be approved by the full Senate.

Transcript: Kwame Holman reports on the committee action.

September 15, 2005
Judge Roberts Tries to Address Concerns of Skeptical Democrats
For the third consecutive day, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled chief justice nominee John Roberts on his views of affirmative action, civil rights and big business, trying to get at his personal, rather than legal, view of the law.

Later in the afternoon, senators heard from legal experts, policy advocates and friends of the nominee.

Although Democrats expressed frustration with the lack of specific information on where Roberts stands on issues like abortion and congressional authority, experts predict the committee and the full Senate will likely approve the nominee perhaps as early as next week.

Transcript: Correspondent Kwame Holman recaps the fourth day of hearings.

Transcript: Analysts Tom Oliphant and David Brooks grade John Roberts' performance during his appearance.

RealAudio: Oliphant and Brooks, the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and the Chicago Tribune's Jan Crawford Greenburg discuss how effective Roberts was in making his case to wavering Democrats.

September 14, 2005
Roberts Stresses Limited Role of Court, Pledges to Seek Consensus
During his second day of questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee, chief justice nominee John Roberts said Wednesday he would strive to build larger and clearer majorities in Supreme Court decisions if confirmed, but also stressed he would be guided by the law and not his personal opinion on matters like the right to die.

Analysis: Two constitutional law scholars, Akhil Amar of Yale Law School and Lillian BeVier of the University of Virginia School of Law, consider what can be gleaned from Roberts' Day 2 testimony.

RealAudio: Analysts Tom Oliphant and David Brooks, the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and the Chicago Tribune's Jan Crawford Greenburg discuss how Roberts might work as chief justice and whether he will be able to form clearer majorities in court decisions.

RealAudio: Analysts return to discuss the carefully worded answers of John Roberts and what is and what is not known about his opinions after two days of hearings.

September 13, 2005
Senators Question Roberts on Abortion, Civil Rights
Chief justice nominee John Roberts on Tuesday faced hours of pointed questions from senators on a slew of issues ranging from abortion and segregation to the separation of executive and congressional powers.

Analysis: Ted Olson, attorney with Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher and former U.S. solicitor general, and Pam Karlan, professor of public interest law at Stanford Law School, assess Roberts' answers from the first round of questioning.

RealAudio: Columnists Tom Oliphant and David Brooks, the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and the Chicago Tribune's Jan Crawford Greenburg consider the questioning of John Roberts and what has been learned about his judicial policy.

RealAudio: Analysts return to highlight key moments from the day's questions.

RealAudio: Analysts consider the growing likelihood that no Democrats will vote to confirm John Roberts.

September 12, 2005
Roberts Nomination Hearings Open on Capitol Hill
Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts, in his first comments to the Senate Judiciary Committee, pledged Monday to "confront every case with an open mind" and to "fully and fairly analyze the legal arguments presented."

Transcript: Douglas Kmiec, professor of constitutional law at Pepperdine Law School, and Kathleen Sullivan, law professor and former dean of Stanford Law School, consider the first day's testimony and what it may foreshadow for the rest of the week's hearings.

RealAudio Highlights from the Hearing
Sen. Arlen Specter, Judiciary Committee Chairman
Sen. Patrick Leahy, Judiciary Committee Ranking Democrat
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Analysis: Columnists Tom Oliphant and David Brooks, the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and the Chicago Tribune's Jan Crawford Greenburg discuss the opening statements of senators and the continuing standoff between the committee and the White House over some documents from the first Bush administration related to Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts.

Judge John Roberts, nominee to be chief justice of the United States

Analysis: Four analysts react to Roberts' opening statement and the upcoming questioning by U.S. senators.

September 6, 2005
Senate Postpones Roberts Confirmation Hearings
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said his committee would push back confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts until Monday in light of this week's memorial services for Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

September 5, 2005
President Bush Nominates John Roberts as Chief Justice
President Bush on Monday nominated John Roberts to succeed William Rehnquist as chief justice of the Supreme Court. Roberts, who at one time served as Rehnquist's clerk, said he was "honored and humbled."

The president said he would name a successor to Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who announced her retirement at the end of the high court's last term, in a "timely manner."

RealAudio: President Bush announces his decision to elevate Roberts to chief justice.

August 29, 2005
Leahy Urges Roberts to Keep Open Mind
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont met with Supreme Court nominee John Roberts for a second time Monday ahead of the candidate's confirmation hearings next month.

In a NewsHour interview following the meeting, Leahy said he urged Roberts to not bring predetermined decisions to the high court. The senator also expressed concern over the White House reportedly losing documents from Roberts' years as counsel to the Reagan administration.

Transcript: Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., discusses the questions he might pose to Roberts and the upcoming confirmation process. (8/24/05)

August 19, 2005
Documents Shed More Light on Roberts' Work as Counsel
The National Archives and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library released 71 more boxes of documents containing many of the earliest professional work of now-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. The latest information, which news organizations said contained "no bombshells," continued to paint a picture of Roberts as a conservative lawyer, who insisted on cautious and precise language and stances.

Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune reports on what she and others have discovered in the latest batch of documents.

August 16, 2005
Latest Set of Documents Reveals Roberts' Past Views
Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Jr.'s past thinking on issues such as abortion and school prayer became somewhat clearer when the National Archives released 5,400 pages of documents pertaining to Roberts' work as a young lawyer in the Reagan White House.

August 11, 2005
Past Television Appearances, Writings Hint at Roberts' Thinking
Past writings and comments by Judge John Roberts have become the focal point of those supporting and opposing his nomination to the Supreme Court.

While much of the attention has been directed toward the thousands of memos, decisions and other documents, several of the nominee's rare televised interviews came on the NewsHour. Following a report on what he said about some of the more controversial cases in which he was involved, two legal experts reflect on what is known about Roberts' judicial philosophy and possible role on the high court.

July 22, 2005
Term on Bench Hints at Roberts as a Pragmatic Conservative
After three days of meetings with senators on Capitol Hill, an image is emerging of Appellate Judge John Roberts Jr. as a generally conservative jurist who believes in a limited and "modest" court.

"The ... word that he used, which I thought was very important, was an emphasis on stability," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said. "When you talk about a modest approach by a court, and an approach on stability, I think you have critical ingredients of a judge who'd be nonactivist."

Three legal experts, including NewsHour regular Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune, assess what is known about Roberts' record.

July 20, 2005
Supreme Court Nominee Visits Capitol Hill
Transcript: President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, John Roberts Jr., made courtesy calls on Capitol Hill Wednesday, the day after his nomination brought a flood of accolades from Republicans and words of caution from Democrats. Kwame Holman reports on Roberts' day.

Transcript: Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune outlines what is known about the judicial mind of Judge John Roberts.

Transcript: White House chief of staff Andrew Card talks about President Bush's selection of Roberts.

Transcript: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Judiciary Committee, discusses Roberts' chances of getting confirmed.

Update: Republicans Hail Supreme Court Nominee; Democrats Cautious

July 19, 2005
President Bush Nominates Judge John Roberts Jr. to High Court
After weeks of speculation and dozens of meetings with advisers and members of Congress, President Bush named solidly conservative former Deputy Solicitor General John Roberts Jr. to the first opening on the Supreme Court in more than a decade.

Roberts, who currently serves as a judge on the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit, has only been on the bench since 2003, but has argued nearly 40 cases before the high court for the government and other clients.

Text | RealAudio: President Bush announces the selection of Judge Roberts

Transcript: Three U.S. senators offer their initial reactions to the Roberts nomination, as well as the coming confirmation hearings.

Profile: Appeals Court Justice John Roberts Jr.

RealAudio Analysis of the Roberts Nomination
Shields and Brooks: Mark Shields and David Brooks offer an initial reaction to the president's choice.

Legal Scholars: Two legal reporters and a former colleague of Judge Roberts reflect on the jurist's past decisions, legal mind and possible problematic positions.

Shields and Brooks: The two analysts reflect on possible opposition to Roberts.

Judicial Activists: A conservative and a liberal judicial observer make their cases for and against John Roberts.

Shields and Brooks: Joined by legal columnist Stuart Taylor, Shields and Brooks offer final thoughts about the president's decision and the road ahead in the Senate.

July 6, 2005
Senators Preview Upcoming Supreme Court Battle
As debate heats up over possible replacements for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee discuss the nomination process and the early strong rhetoric from interest groups.

July 5, 2005
Historians Expect Heated Supreme Court Selection Process
It has been nearly a dozen years since the president and Congress have had to grapple with a Supreme Court vacancy. The last justice to be confirmed by the Senate was Stephen Breyer in August 1994.

In a prelude to the expected heated battle over the next Supreme Court justice nomination, Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of American history at the University of New Hampshire, discusses the selection and confirmation process.

July 1, 2005
Reporter Considers O'Connor's Record
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her intention to retire once her replacement is found. Margaret Warner and Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune talk about O'Connor's role on the court.

July 1, 2005
Supreme Court Justice O'Connor Announces Her Retirement
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said Friday she plans to retire once a replacement is installed. Law analysts discuss her 24-year legacy on the bench and the view of O'Connor as the "swing" vote.