[Mb-civic] A Move To the Right, An Eye to Confirmation - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

A Move To the Right, An Eye to Confirmation

By Dan Balz and Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 20, 2005; Page A01

President Bush moved boldly to shift the Supreme Court to the right last 
night by selecting federal appellate judge John G. Roberts Jr. to 
succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. But in choosing a jurist with 
establishment credentials and bipartisan allies, Bush also picked a 
nominee he believes can win confirmation with some Democratic votes.

Bush appeared to have the court's future and the confirmation process in 
mind as he made his decision this week. All day, the name of appellate 
judge Edith Brown Clement floated through Washington as the president's 
apparent choice, but many on the right consider her conservative 
credentials far more suspect than Roberts's. By picking Roberts, Bush 
displayed his determination to put a more conservative stamp on the court.

At the same time, the president passed over a number of highly 
conservative judges whose nominations would have been seen as far more 
ideological and polarizing than that of Roberts. Given that this was the 
first but probably not the last Supreme Court vacancy he will be asked 
to fill, Bush signaled a less confrontational approach toward the Senate 
than he has adopted with his lower-court nominations -- and challenged 
the Senate to avoid a divisive debate over his choice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/19/AR2005071901946.html?nav=hcmodule

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