Washington – Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar will announce Sunday in Denver how he plans to vote on the confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice of the United States.
Salazar, after meeting privately with Roberts for the second time Friday, said that he has not made up his mind how to vote.
The Democrat planned to spend today at his San Luis Valley ranch, reviewing Roberts’ testimony at Senate hearings.
“I think this vote on the chief justice is one of the more important votes I’ll cast as a U.S. senator,” Salazar said.
“That’s why I’m being very thoughtful and studious about trying to get the best understanding I can about Judge Roberts before I decide.”
Salazar met with Roberts for about 40 minutes Friday morning.
The two men talked largely about civil rights issues.
Salazar said he is concerned that Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia are intent on peeling back “the progress that has been made in civil rights.”
Roberts “said that he felt that we need to make sure we were upholding civil rights,” Salazar said.
The senator said that Roberts revealed to him that his 5-year-old daughter, Josie, had asked him “whether or not there were girl judges,” and that Roberts expressed concern about his daughter having all the same opportunities as boys.
Salazar asked Roberts about Roe vs. Wade, the court decision recognizing abortion rights nationwide.
Roberts repeated to Salazar what he told the Senate Judiciary Committee, that Roe vs. Wade is a precedent “and that he saw it as settled law of the land,” the senator said.
Salazar said he told Roberts he is concerned about attacks against the court from what Salazar called “the religious right,” including a 2003 comment by Focus on the Family founder James Dobson describing Justice Anthony Kennedy as “the most dangerous man in America.”
Roberts told Salazar he would stand up for the court and its independence against such attacks.
Asked by reporters how the meeting had gone as he was leaving, Roberts held up the book “Valley of the Dunes” and said, “I got a very lovely book.”
Salazar wrote the introduction to the volume, featuring photographs of the San Luis Valley and Great Sand Dunes.
Salazar after the meeting criticized how President Bush handled Roberts’ nomination, saying the president failed to give names of potential nominees to leaders of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, which handles the confirmation hearings.
Bush also refused to release all of the documents related to Roberts, including 16 documents related to civil rights that Salazar requested.
“I would hope the White House can do a better job than they did with Judge Roberts” in filling the next Supreme Court vacancy, Salazar said.
“To the extent that there is information about any of these nominees at all, it ought to all be placed on the table.”
