Evaluating the New Justices in Light of the Confirmation Ordeal

Abstract

I think the confirmation hearings left the press, and maybe the public as well, wanting more substantial information, but we got a little bit of the style of the Justices. The two men you saw on the screen are very much on the bench like they were before the senators. John Roberts, particularly, was very comfortable before the grilling of the senators, and on the bench he is also right at home. He's funny-not as funny as Justice Scalia-David Savage was talking a little bit of the surprises or what we expected. Chief Justice Roberts does ask a ton of questions on the bench. I guess I was surprised. During the confirmation hearings, Roberts talked a little bit about Justice Rehnquist and whether he would be a Rehnquist type Chief Justice. He indicated that he wanted to be his own man. Rehnquist asked very few questions and was really concerned more with keeping of the time, and if one of the Justices ran on too long, he'd grumpily rap him-not literally, but say, "Let's move on."