Getting first crack at John Roberts is the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose members are profiled in the Washington Post, below:
Snapshot of Judiciary Committee Members
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 27, 2005; 1:12 PM
WASHINGTON -- The first stop for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts on the way to a possible seat on the nation's highest court is the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds hearings and the initial votes on all candidates for federal judgeships.
It is a familiar venue for Roberts, who appeared before the panel twice in 2003 before becoming a federal appeals court judge. Confirmation hearings on his nomination to the Supreme Court begin Sept. 6.
A look at the committee's 18 members _ 10 Republicans and eight Democrats.
REPUBLICANS:
_Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania: Chairman. Five-term senator, 75. A moderate and party maverick with a history of upsetting important constituencies. In a moment of candor that almost cost him the chairmanship, Specter angered conservatives after his re-election last year by saying anti-abortion judges would have difficulty winning Senate confirmation. Riled women's groups in 1991 by aggressively questioning law professor Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. Specter is battling Hodgkin's disease and the chemotherapy treatment has taken a toll; he has lost his hair.
_Orrin Hatch, Utah: Former committee chairman. Five-term senator, 71. Strong supporter of President Bush's judicial nominees. Abortion opponent. Has shown bipartisanship with liberal stalwart Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, including on legislation to pay for poor children's health care by increasing cigarette taxes. Writes and produces patriotic and religious songs that have been performed by the Osmonds and singer Gladys Knight. Ran for president in 2000. Sometimes mentioned as a possible candidate for the Supreme Court. As the No. 2 Republican on the committee, he would take the gavel if Specter's health gives way.
_Charles Grassley, Iowa: Five-term senator, 71. One of the few non-lawyers on the committee; Grassley is a farmer. Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which puts him in the middle of the debate over Bush's proposal to overhaul Social Security. Social conservative who opposes abortion, gun control. Votes to approve conservative judges. Champion of whistleblowers, farmers and the elderly. Government watchdog known for exposing outrageous Pentagon spending during the 1980s, such as a $700 toilet seat.
_Jon Kyl, Arizona: Two-term senator, 63. Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, helping shape the party's image and message. Pro-business conservative. An attorney, he's recently been discussed in conservative circles as a possible Supreme Court nominee. The upcoming votes on Roberts _ by the committee and the full Senate _ will be Kyl's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_Mike DeWine, Ohio: Two-term senator, 58. Member of the so-called "Gang of 14" _ seven Republicans and seven Democrats _ who averted a Senate showdown over Bush's nominees to the lower courts. Supports appointment of conservative judges to the federal bench. A father of eight who often crosses the aisle to support Democrats on child welfare legislation. Votes on Roberts will be DeWine's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_Jeff Sessions, Alabama: Two-term senator, 58. Serves with some of the senators who rejected his 1986 nomination to be a federal district judge in Alabama. Civil rights groups claimed he had made racially insensitive statements and pursued politically motivated prosecutions of civil rights activists. A former U.S. attorney and former Alabama attorney general. Threatened to push for curbs on use of filibusters if Democrats continued to block Bush's judicial nominations. Votes on Roberts will be Sessions' first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_Lindsay Graham, South Carolina: A freshman senator, 50. An attorney, he's a former Air Force lawyer and the only senator serving in the National Guard or Reserves. Member of the "Gang of 14." Injected himself into Social Security debate with a plan to increase taxes on wealthier workers to pay for the private investment accounts sought by Bush. Votes on Roberts will be Graham's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_John Cornyn, Texas: A freshman senator, 53. Former judge on state court in San Antonio and Texas Supreme Court in Austin. Former Texas attorney general. Recently talked about in some conservative circles as a possible Supreme Court nominee. Defender of Bush's judicial nominees from the threat of Democratic filibusters. Votes on Roberts will be Cornyn's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_Sam Brownback, Kansas: Second full term, 48. Youngest committee member. Possible candidate for Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Very involved on issues important to social conservatives. Prominent opponent of research using embryonic stem cells, comparing it to abortion. Votes on Roberts will be Brownback's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
_Tom Coburn, Oklahoma: A freshman senator, 57. Newest committee member, he's a physician known for strong conservativism and opposition to abortion. Kept promise to serve no more than three House terms, from 1995-2001. Similarly, has pledged to serve a maximum of two Senate terms. After meeting with Roberts, said he would have preferred a nominee who would reverse the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the right to an abortion. Votes on Roberts will be Coburn's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
DEMOCRATS:
_Patrick Leahy, Vermont: Senior Democrat on committee. Six-term senator, 65. Has led the party through several high-profile confirmation battles, from the 1991 Thomas hearings to former Sen. John Ashcroft's nomination to be attorney general in 2001. Has upset the White House by backing filibusters of Bush's judicial nominees. Chaired Judiciary Committee when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred and later was the target of an anthrax-laced letter. His calls for an investigation into Iraq war military contracts awarded to Halliburton Co. prompted a vulgarity from Vice President Dick Cheney on the Senate floor. Cheney ran Halliburton before becoming vice president.
_Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts: Seventh full term, 73. Liberal stalwart. Leader of effort against Robert Bork, whose Supreme Court nomination was rejected in 1987. Has said documents Roberts drafted as a Reagan administration aide raise questions about his commitment to civil rights. One of three Democrats to vote against Roberts' federal appeals court nomination. Leading critic of Bush's foreign policies, particularly the Iraq war. Helped negotiate passage of Bush's overhaul of Medicare and worked with the president on education law linking federal school aid more closely to test results.
_Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Delaware: Six-term senator, 62. Former committee chairman. Possible candidate for Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. Sought presidency in 1988, but withdrew after revelations of plagiarism and resume embellishment. Committee chairman, 1987-1995, handling confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy, David H. Souter, Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer, and defeated nominee Bork. Another critic of Iraq war.
_Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin: Third-term senator, 70. Self-made millionaire. Ran family grocery and department store businesses before 1979 sale. Bought NBA's Milwaukee Bucks in 1985 to keep team in town. Supports gun control. One of a dozen Democrats to vote for Bush's $1.35 trillion tax cut in 2001.
_Dianne Feinstein, California: Third term, 72. Was the first and remains the only woman on committee. Supports abortion rights, gun control. Former San Francisco mayor and moderate who often sides with Republicans. Her bill to create a Cabinet-level national intelligence director was folded into legislation signed by Bush after a commission probing the terror attacks endorsed the idea. Joined Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, on legislation creating national "Amber Alert" system to find missing children.
_Russell Feingold, Wisconsin: Third-term senator, 52. Best known as co-author, with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, banning large money donations to the political parties. Champion of tighter ethical standards for members of Congress. Only senator to vote against Patriot Act. Member of the same Harvard Law School class (1979) as Roberts, but did not know him.
_Charles Schumer, New York: Second-term senator, 54. A leader of the party's opposition to Bush's judicial nominees. Successful fundraiser in charge of raising money for Senate Democratic candidates running for office next year. Voted against Roberts' federal appeals court nomination. Upcoming votes on Roberts will be Schumer's first on a Supreme Court nominee. In the House, where Schumer spent nine terms, was prime sponsor of 1993 Brady law requiring background checks for handgun buys.
_Dick Durbin, Illinois: Second-term senator, 60. No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, one of the party's messengers. Also led opposition to several of Bush's judicial nominees. Voted against Roberts for federal appeals court. Good debater, media savvy and quick with a sound bite. Pressured into making a tearful apology this year after comparing interrogations at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to methods used by Nazis and other repressive regimes. Votes on Roberts will be Durbin's first on a Supreme Court nominee.
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On the Net:
Senate Judiciary Committee members: http://judiciary.senate.gov/members.cfm