Washington – As President Bush moves to fill the second vacancy on the Supreme Court, he faces a new challenge in finding a jurist who can not only withstand Democratic scrutiny but also hold together the support of Senate Republicans.
Senate Republican strategists say that since Bush’s nomination of Judge John Roberts to the court, members of their conference have grown increasingly willing to disagree with the White House, notably on matters such as stem-cell research, Bush’s choice for ambassador to the United Nations and the war in Iraq.
Some, including Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, a member of the Judiciary Committee, are considering their own bids for the presidency.
Now, both socially conservative and more liberal Republican senators say they may vote against confirmation of the next nominee if the pick leans too far to the left or the right on prominent issues such as abortion rights.
Any Republican defection could provide cover for Democrats who want to oppose confirmation, protecting them politically in Republican-leaning states.
Democrats have vowed to dig in for a tough fight over the nominee to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor because she was a pivotal swing vote on the court.
On the conservative side of the party, Brownback and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, another member of the Judiciary Committee, devoted much of their time for questioning Roberts to delivering messages to the White House about the importance of overturning precedents supporting abortion rights.
In an interview last week, Brownback said he would vote against a nominee who was not “solid and known” on cultural issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and religion in public life.
