WASHINGTON – The Senate Democratic leader yesterday announced that he’ll oppose the nomination of Judge John Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court, providing political cover for New York Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer should they, too, decide to oppose Roberts.
Although he has a limited national profile, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) carries great sway among the Democratic senators who will vote on Roberts’ nomination.
A vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee is set for tomorrow, with a final floor vote expected next week.
Schumer, a Judiciary Committee member who accepted a party leadership post from Reid, shook his head as he was asked how we would vote, saying, “I haven’t made up my mind.”
A Democratic senator said Clinton spoke at a closed-door caucus meeting about Hurricane Katrina and the morning-after pill, but she did not mention Roberts. Clinton has not said how she will vote.
Some political observers say Clinton has an opportunity to court centrist voters by backing Roberts, although Republican Mayor Bloomberg muddied the waters by announcing his opposition to Roberts.
On the Senate floor, Reid said, “I have reluctantly concluded that this nominee has not satisfied the high burden that would justify my voting for his confirmation based on the current record.”
Referring to publicly released memos that date to Roberts’ tenure as a Reagan administration lawyer, Reid said they showed the young attorney “played a significant role in shaping and advancing the Republican agenda to roll back civil rights protections.”
But Roberts remains on course for confirmation, with solid majority Republican backing, sources said.
Two Democrats, Sens. Max Baucus of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, also came out in favor of the nominee last night.