John Roberts Is The Nominee

FoxNews is reporting that Bush has nominated John Roberts to the Supreme Court.

Bench Memos is sure to have updates and information regarding Roberts judicial background in the next hour or so.

Jonathon Adler is happy with the choice:

If he is confirmed without too much to-do, my faith in the judicial nomination process might be restored. I recently told a liberal friend that Roberts truly is the "best available" nominee. When she asked what that meant (and wondered "if Roberts is a old white guy or worse a middle aged white guy?" I responded as follows:

John Roberts was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit court of Appeals in the last few years, though he was first nominated in 1991 by Bush 41. He is a "middle-aged white guy," but he is universally regarded as among the best Supreme Court advocate in the nation, bar none. He clerked for Rehnquist, was deputy SG, is a remarkable oral advocate and a sharp legal mind. He is liked and admired by all of the current justices, who regularly look forward to cases in which he is representing one of the parties because of the quality of his work. If a case is winnable, he will win it. It is a travesty he was not confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in the 1990s when first nominated. Setting aside ideology — and he has a sterling conservative reputation despite the relative lack of a paper trail — he is close to the Platonic ideal of what a Supreme Court nominee should be.

The SCOTUS Blog has a biography of Roberts and adds:

The debate on Judge Roberts's nomination to the D.C. Circuit (he was nominated in 2001 and confirmed in 2003) provides a preview of likely public reaction to a Supreme Court nomination. Liberal groups criticized many of the positions he argued while working in the Reagan and Bush I administrations. This report from the Alliance for Justice is representative. As this report from NARAL illustrates, pro-choice groups focused on the anti-Roe stances taken in briefs written by Roberts during his time in the Solicitor General's office. The Department of Justice's summary of the support for Judge Roberts's nomination is available here.

I have heard Roberts characterized as a "solid conservative" which, if true, is of great relief. It was rumored for a while that he would replace O'Connor with another such wishy-washy appointment. Time will tell if reports of Roberts position is accurate.

He has a rating of "well-qualified" by the American Bar Association and sounds like he will be tough to filibuster, which is not to suggest that the Dem's won't try. Again...time will tell.

UPDATE: A Stitch in Time has an intersting post on Roberts and the Kelo decision, and David Limbaugh has a dozen reasons why Roberts is an excellent choice. My favorite was the last one.

12) Democratic Underground is already going bonkers.

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt knows Roberts personally and adds this:

A home run for the president, the SCOTUS, and for the United States.

You can look at Roberts' bio here, and here you will find the tactic that is sure to be employed in obstructing his nomination. Remember, Roberts has a "well-qualified" rating from the ABA.

Matt Margolis has a massive round-up of blog reaction.

Also posting: Right Side of the Rainbow, Republican Jen, Malkin