Poll: Interest In Roberts Up
More People Following Chief Justice Nominee's Confirmation Process
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Play CBS Video Video Roberts Dodges More Questions John Roberts skirted offering his views on the death penalty and other issues. But Gloria Borger reports that he defended his view of both the confirmation process and the job of a judge.
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Video Roberts On Eminent Domain CBS News RAW: John Roberts explained recent Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain that allowed local government to seize private land for the betterment of community.
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Video Senators Question John Roberts On the first day of questioning, the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Chief Justice nominee John Roberts for his opinion on such issues as abortion. CBS News' Gloria Borger reports.
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Chief Justice nominee John G. Roberts testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP)
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Interactive John G. Roberts Jr. Confirming a Supreme Court nominee: the timetable, the questioners, the background
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Interactive The Supreme Court History, traditions and key cases, plus what it takes to get on the bench.
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Interactive Harriet Miers With Miers out of the running, what's next in President Bush's search to fill a vacancy on the nation's highest court?
Not surprisingly, Republicans (51 percent) are much more likely than Democrats (13 percent) to think Roberts ought to be confirmed. Seventy percent of Democrats can’t say now whether he ought to be confirmed, as do 46% of Republicans.
Overall views of Roberts have not changed much in the last couple of weeks. Twenty-five percent have a positive impression of him, 8 percent have a negative view, but most – 66 percent -- are undecided or haven’t heard enough to have an opinion. About the same number – 61 percent -- are unable to evaluate Roberts’ conservatism.
Fourteen percent think he is more conservative than they would like, 2 percent think he is not conservative enough, and 22 percent think his conservatism is about right. About two- thirds of Democrats and a similar number of Independents cannot evaluate Roberts’ conservatism. Among Republicans, about half think his conservatism is about right.
POSITIONS ON THE ISSUES
Supreme Court nominees’ positions on issues remain very important to Americans. Both now and two weeks ago, a majority of Americans believe the Senate ought to consider a Supreme Court nominee’s positions on the issues in addition to their legal qualifications.
WHEN EVALUATING A COURT NOMINEE, SENATE SHOULD CONSIDER:
Now
Legal qualifications only
36%Positions on issues also
54%Two weeks ago
Legal qualifications only
33%Positions on issues also
57%July 2005
Legal qualifications only
46%Positions on issues also
46%Views are nearly identical when Americans are asked how a Chief Justice should be evaluated. Thirty-three percent think the Senate should only consider the legal qualifications of a nominee for Chief Justice, while 58 percent think the nominee’s positions on the issues ought to factor into the decision.
WHEN EVALUATING A NOMINEE FOR CHIEF JUSTICE, SENATE SHOULD CONSIDER:
Legal qualifications only
33%Positions on issues also
58%This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 1167 adults, interviewed by telephone September 9-13, 2005. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. An oversample of African Americans was also conducted for this poll, for a total of 211 interviews among this group. The margin of error for African Americans is plus or minus seven points.
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