Past Video Interview Shows Roberts Speaking On Issues
An interview aired recently on ABC from a 2000 local television interview with Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is providing a clearer view on his judicial philosophy.
An interview aired recently on ABC from a 2000 local television interview with Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is providing a clearer view on his judicial philosophy. Judicial watchers, including Christian conservatives have weighed in on the interview, providing their insight into how the judge will rule if confirmed by the Senate.
The original interview aired near the end of the 2000 Supreme Court session on WFAA in Dallas. Roberts, then a private practice lawyer, was a guest on the the program Capital Connection, where he was there to give the conservative view about the cases of that year. The interview provided an opportunity to see Roberts expressing himself in a public forum much more than in recent days, where he spoken only to Senators during informal visits.
The top three "headline cases" for conservatives, according to Roberts, dealt with partial birth abortion, prayer in schools, and Miranda rights. Roberts indicated that the conservative view had lost in each of those major cases.
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"Well, taking this term as a whole, the most important thing it did was make a compelling case that we do not have a very conservative Supreme Court," said Roberts.
Jay Sekulow, Head Counsel of the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, concluded that Robert's statements during the interview reaffirmed his conservative image, according to a released statement.
"In that interview, John Roberts expressed concern about the very issues that concern us - and millions of Americans," said Sekulow, who added: "In concluding that we 'do not have a very conservative Supreme Court,' Roberts acknowledged what is now very clear - there has been a shift in the way the high court views some of the most important social and political issues of our day."
One of issues that has been raised by both liberals and conservatives regarding John Roberts' nomination has been his inscrutability in matters pertaining to his personal views on many important issues. With each passing day, media outlets, policy makers, and activist groups have been pursuing every possible lead to define Roberts' position.
In the interview, Roberts explained that in his view, the court was not in favor of prayer in schools before football games when the prayers were initiated by the the school's leaders. However he said it would be alright with the court if the prayers were genuinely student led.
Regarding the defeat of the Texas prayer in schools before football games case, Roberts stated that he didn't "think that means there's no place for religious expression at a football game or any other type of activity."
When talking about a defeat for conservatives in a case regarding partial birth abortion, Roberts concluded that the debate was not over. He gave his view that the right to an abortion is currently protected by more than one vote in the Supreme court. This ran counter to the interviewer's assumption that since the High Court's vote had been split at 5-4, the right to an abortion was virtually "hanging by a thread."
He explained that there were victories for conservatives that year when prompted by the interviewer. In a Boy Scout case where the group was allowed to exclude homosexual leaders Roberts said that the court had decided that people have the right to form groups that can exclude others who don't share the same values.
Roberts' was also asked how there could be so many conservative cases lost, when seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices had been appointed by Republican Presidents.
Roberts said that this was just and "old story" that the appointees, once in the court tended to go their own way and not always that way the Presidents who appointed them expected.
"Well you know it's hard to tell because you never know if the nominees that they select are going to carry out any particular point of view or if as has been the case with many nominees in the past, they chart a different course," he said.
Dr. Richard D. Land, Head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commisson, had confidence that Roberts would not turn out to be a different judge than what President Bush had promised to deliver. He spoke specifically about the seven judges nominated by former Republican Presidents on the FOX show Hannity & Colmes.
"None of those [seven] Supreme Court justices were nominated by George W. Bush, and George W. Bush has kept no promise more faithfully than refusing to back down and only nominating strict constructionist, original intent jurists," Land said. "And I believe he's done that in this case."
For Sekulow, Roberts' statements were a positive sign.
"The analysis and comments provided by Roberts underscore his judicial philosophy of interpreting the Constitution, not re-writing it," he said.
Some conservatives are being vigilant while maintaining confidence in the judge. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council stated that his group plans to "be heavily involved in the confirmation hearings," heeding a saying of former President Reagan who said to "Trust but verify."
