Roberts Sworn In As Chief Justice
John Roberts was sworn in Thursday as the new chief justice of the United States, just hours after his confirmation by a commanding Senate majority.
"The Senate has confirmed a man with an astute mind and a kind heart," President Bush said at a White House ceremony. "All Americans can be confident that the 17th chief justice of the United States will be prudent in exercising judicial power, firm in defending judicial independence and above all a faithful guardian of the Constitution."
The president called it "a very meaningful event in the life of our nation."
The oath was administered by Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's senior member and acting chief justice since the death earlier this month of William H. Rehnquist. The other justices of the Supreme Court were also present.
A formal Supreme Court ceremony was scheduled for Monday morning, before the opening of the term.
Roberts, 50, spoke briefly, saying that the bipartisan vote for his nomination was "confirmation of what is for me is a bedrock principle, that judging is different from politics."
He said he would try to "pass on to my children's generation a charter of self-government as strong and as vibrant as the one that Chief Justice Rehnquist passed on to us."
"What Daniel Webster termed the miracle of our Constitution is not something that happens in every generation, but every generation in its turn must accept the responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution and bearing true faith and allegiance to it," Roberts said.
The audience included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House counsel Harriet Miers, both of whom have been mentioned as candidates for the Supreme Court seat of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Despite speculation that Mr. Bush might select a nominee to replace O'Connor as soon as today, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts reports the president will not announce his choice until next week.
The Senate vote was 78-22 to confirm Roberts, a former U.S. Appeals judge. All of the Senate's majority Republicans and half of the Democrats voted for Roberts.
Roberts is the first new Supreme Court justice since 1994. He has the potential of leading the court for decades. Not since John Marshall, confirmed in 1801 at 45, has there been a younger chief justice.
Under Roberts, justices will tackle issues like assisted suicide, campaign finance law and abortion this year, with questions about religion, same-sex marriage, the government's war on terrorism and human cloning looming in the future.
"With the confirmation of John Roberts, the Supreme Court will embark upon a new era in its history, the Roberts era," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., whose 55 GOP members voted unanimously for the conservative judge. "And for many years to come, long after many of us have left public service, the Roberts court will be deliberating on some of the most difficult and fundamental questions of U.S. law."
Twenty-two Democrats opposed Roberts, saying he could turn out to be as conservative as justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court anchors on the right.
"At the end of the day, I have too many unanswered questions about the nominee to justify confirming him to this lifetime seat," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
"It's a win and (President Bush) really needed this win given all of his troubles," said CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger.
"Now everybody is looking towards the next Supreme Court nominee and this president can go one of two ways. He can go the John Roberts route, which allows him to get Democratic support; or go a more conservative route, play to his political base and have a fight."
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "The Senate has confirmed a man with an astute mind and a kind heart," President Bush said at a White House ceremony. "All Americans can be confident that the 17th chief justice of the United States will be prudent in exercising judicial power, firm in defending judicial independence and above all a faithful guardian of the Constitution."
The president called it "a very meaningful event in the life of our nation."
The oath was administered by Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's senior member and acting chief justice since the death earlier this month of William H. Rehnquist. The other justices of the Supreme Court were also present.
A formal Supreme Court ceremony was scheduled for Monday morning, before the opening of the term.
Roberts, 50, spoke briefly, saying that the bipartisan vote for his nomination was "confirmation of what is for me is a bedrock principle, that judging is different from politics."
He said he would try to "pass on to my children's generation a charter of self-government as strong and as vibrant as the one that Chief Justice Rehnquist passed on to us."
"What Daniel Webster termed the miracle of our Constitution is not something that happens in every generation, but every generation in its turn must accept the responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution and bearing true faith and allegiance to it," Roberts said.
The audience included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and White House counsel Harriet Miers, both of whom have been mentioned as candidates for the Supreme Court seat of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Despite speculation that Mr. Bush might select a nominee to replace O'Connor as soon as today, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts reports the president will not announce his choice until next week.
The Senate vote was 78-22 to confirm Roberts, a former U.S. Appeals judge. All of the Senate's majority Republicans and half of the Democrats voted for Roberts.
Roberts is the first new Supreme Court justice since 1994. He has the potential of leading the court for decades. Not since John Marshall, confirmed in 1801 at 45, has there been a younger chief justice.
Under Roberts, justices will tackle issues like assisted suicide, campaign finance law and abortion this year, with questions about religion, same-sex marriage, the government's war on terrorism and human cloning looming in the future.
"With the confirmation of John Roberts, the Supreme Court will embark upon a new era in its history, the Roberts era," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., whose 55 GOP members voted unanimously for the conservative judge. "And for many years to come, long after many of us have left public service, the Roberts court will be deliberating on some of the most difficult and fundamental questions of U.S. law."
Twenty-two Democrats opposed Roberts, saying he could turn out to be as conservative as justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court anchors on the right.
"At the end of the day, I have too many unanswered questions about the nominee to justify confirming him to this lifetime seat," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
"It's a win and (President Bush) really needed this win given all of his troubles," said CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger.
"Now everybody is looking towards the next Supreme Court nominee and this president can go one of two ways. He can go the John Roberts route, which allows him to get Democratic support; or go a more conservative route, play to his political base and have a fight."
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