Mitch Landrieu: “I will vote for the nomination of John Roberts to be the next Chief Justice of the United States. He is intelligent with…”

“I will vote for the nomination of John Roberts to be the next Chief Justice of the United States. He is intelligent with an impressive educational background; extensive experience arguing before the Supreme Court; and distinguished public service experience at the highest levels of government. Based on his resume, he has the qualifications to be Chief Justice. But a nominee's resume alone is not automatic grounds for confirmation to any office. The Senate has a duty to delve more deeply beyond a nominee's paper record. So while Judge Roberts's credentials are clearly impressive, I still had concerns about his original nomination to the Court. My concern lay in the fact that Judge Roberts was originally nominated to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who in her 24 years on the court brought a voice of moderation and balance to an increasingly polarized body. She wrote opinions that surprised and outraged both the right and the left; proof positive that she was not grinding a particular political ax or was beholden to one unbending judicial philosophy. She judged and considered both sides of a case and the law carefully and was more interested in getting the case right than pushing a particular agenda. Justice O'Connor understood, just as Potter Stewart did before her, that power on the Court lay in the center, not at the extremes. Judge Roberts was about to replace that all-important center. I was not sure which way he would go.…”