Senate liberals try to press Roberts on abortion issue

You can find this information in any of several sources. Depending upon the source, you'll see it spun in various directions, so please keep that in mind when reading the news reports.

The clipping below comes from AP, via MSNBC. Headline will be linked, please click on original article to read the rest of the article if desired.

I'm clipping the relevant portion related to the line of questioning and pressing of Roberts in the abortion area. Obviously the liberals/Democrats want to get Roberts to give away his complete position on the abortion issue, but thus far Roberts has tried to dance around the issue and avoid disqualifying himself for decisions that might come up in the future before the court (including 2 cases on the current docket apparently).

Feel free to add comments of your own.

Roberts fields questions on abortion, power

Nominee tells Specter overturning settled law ‘a jolt to the legal system’

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee John Roberts said Tuesday that the landmark 1973 ruling on abortion was “settled as a precedent of the court” as he was immediately pressed to address the divisive issue on the second day of his confirmation hearings.
“It’s settled as a precedent of the court, entitled to respect under principles of stare decisis,” the concept that long-settled decisions should be given extra weight, Roberts told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Roberts, however, declined to discuss his views on Roe v. Wade, twice dodging answering specific questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., saying that there are abortion-related cases on the court’s docket But Roberts called the concept of legal precedent a “very important consideration.”
{ snip }...
Roberts also dismissed any suggestion that his Catholic faith would influence his decisions if he was confirmed to be the nation’s 17th chief justice. The Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion.
Specter cited President Kennedy’s statement in September 1960 that he did speak for his church on public matters and the church did not speak for him.
{ snip }...
Questioned about rights of privacy, the appellate judge cited various amendments of the Constitution that he said protect those rights, and said, “I do think the right to privacy is protected under the Constitution in various ways.”
{ snip }...
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the committee, focused on the balance of power between the executive branch and Congress — and Roberts’ suggestion, in past writings, that favor the presidency and speak dismissively of the legislature.
After considerable discussion about a memo dealing with military benefits, the White House and Congress, Leahy simply asked if Congress has the power to declare war.
“Of course, the Constitution specifically gives the power to Congress,” Roberts said.
Leahy also questioned Roberts about recent Bush administration documents on torture and interrogation, prompting another definitive statement from Roberts. “No one is above the law and that includes the president,” he said.

... more at linked article

I highlighted one section above... I guess Roberts was going for the "I served with Jack Kennedy... you're no Jack Kennedy" response for that one.

And as noted, it seems that the usual cast of clowns, I mean characters, are doing the pressing. The liberals want assurances that they aren't giving the keys to the kingdom to a conservative that will immediately start pulling back the reins on the court and the decisions the Judiciary branch (at lower levels) have been making over the years.

Personally, I'll be happy if Roberts stands by his 'Congress makes laws, not the courts' stance.

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