Herb Kohl: “Judge Roberts came before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month as a very well respected judge with a…”

“Judge Roberts came before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month as a very well respected judge with a sterling academic record and a remarkable legal career. He left the Judiciary Committee with that reputation intact, if not enhanced. I have enormous respect for Judge Roberts' legal talents. They are undeniable. As a result, I supported his nomination last week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is for this reason, his distinguished career and his sterling reputation as a lawyer and a judge, that I will vote my hopes today and not my fears and support Judge Roberts' nomination for Chief Justice of the United States. During a private meeting with him, as well as through four impressive days of testimony, Judge Roberts made clear that he will be a modest judge. He assures us that he will address each case on its merits and approach each argument with an open mind. He recognized that judges should not substitute their policy preferences for those of Congress, and I agree. Judge Roberts sees a clear boundary to the judge's role. He told us repeatedly that his personal views about issues did not matter. He assured us that he will not be an activist; and that he will rarely, if ever, look to overturn precedent. Rather, precedent, not his version of how the law should be, will mark the beginning of his constitutional analysis. Judge Roberts recognizes a right to privacy in the Constitution, and he understands that people have come to rely on it.…”