James M. Jeffords: “generally when we vote, the decisions we make can be revisited within a few months or years. This year's appropriations…”

“generally when we vote, the decisions we make can be revisited within a few months or years. This year's appropriations policy can be replaced by a new one next year. Unintended consequences can be rectified, legislation fine tuned. But the consequences of confirming a Supreme Court Justice last well beyond a Senator's term and maybe even his or her life. Given Judge John Roberts' age, he may be making critical decisions on constitutional rights when my newborn grandson is welcoming children of his own into this world. Not surprisingly then, I consider voting on the confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice, and especially the Chief Justice, one of the most important responsibilities of a Senator. While I have considered and voted on four Supreme Court nominees during my tenure in the Senate, the nomination of Judge Roberts to be the 17th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is my first chance to consider the nomination of an individual to be the Chief Justice. I have spent a great deal of time the last few weeks considering this nomination. I looked at Judge Roberts' decisions during his tenure on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, reviewed the memorandums he wrote while working in the Reagan administration, watched the nomination hearing, and listened to what my Senate colleagues have said on this nomination. After considering all of this, I have decided to support Judge Roberts' nomination to be Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.…”