[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[September 29, 2005]
[Pages 1495-1498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for John G. Roberts, Jr., as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States
September 29, 2005
The President. Good afternoon and welcome to the White House.
Laura and I are pleased that all of you could
join us in witnessing a very meaningful event in the life of our Nation.
It's a rare privilege to welcome seven current
Justices of the Supreme Court. Thank you
all for coming. We also welcome Mrs. Thurgood Marshall and Mrs. Potter Stewart.
It was 19 years ago, almost to the day, that Chief Justice William
Rehnquist took the oath of office in this very room with President
Ronald Reagan as a witness. Each gathering of this kind is an historic
occasion for our country and gives eloquent testimony to the wisdom and
continuity of the system created by the Framers.
In a few moments, John Roberts will take his place in a
distinguished line that began in 1789, when President Washington
appointed Chief Justice John Jay. This is a proud day for John Roberts's
family. We extend a special welcome to his wife, Jane, their daughter, Josie, and
son, Jack--[laughter]--a fellow who is
comfortable with the cameras. [Laughter] Also with us are the Judge's
mom and dad, Rosemary and Jack
Roberts; two of his sisters,
Peggy and Barbara, as well as other members of
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the Roberts family. We're so pleased you'd be with us today.
I appreciate the Vice President being here,
Attorney General Al Gonzales. I thank
Harriet Miers, Counsel to the President, and
members of my administration who worked on the nomination and
confirmation. I particularly want to thank former Senator Fred
Thompson for his leadership. I thank
the members of my Cabinet who are here.
I appreciate the Members of the United States Senate who are here,
Majority Leader Bill Frist, Senate President Pro
Tem Ted Stevens, and Majority Whip Mitch
McConnell. Thank you all for
coming. I thank the members of the Judiciary Committee who are here,
starting with the chairman, Arlen Specter,
ranking member Pat Leahy. Thank you all for
coming. I appreciate Senators Grassley,
Hatch, Brownback, Kyl, Sessions, Cornyn, and Graham. I also want to thank all the other Senators here
with us. I really want to say something about Senator Dick Lugar from Indiana, who introduced the Chief to the
Senate. I appreciate very much all of you taking time out of your day to
witness this historic event.
Today we complete a process set forth in Article II of the
Constitution, which provides that the President shall nominate and by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint the judges
of the Supreme Court. The nomination power is one of the most serious
responsibilities of a President. When a President chooses a Supreme
Court Justice, he is placing in human hands the full authority and
majesty of the law.
Each member of our highest court holds a position of extraordinary
influence and respect, and can hold it for a lifetime. The office of
Chief Justice has added responsibilities as leader of the Court and as
presiding officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States. To
carry out all these duties, I submitted to the Senate a nominee of
integrity, deep humility, and uncommon talent.
During the confirmation hearings this month, Members of the Senate
and American people saw far more than the intellectual gifts and broad
experience of Judge John Roberts. They witnessed as well the character
of the man, his reverence for the Constitution and laws of our country,
his impartiality and devotion to justice, his modesty and great personal
decency.
Across the Nation, Americans have grown in respect and admiration
for this good man. From the day of Judge Roberts's nomination, the
Judiciary Committee and Senators of both parties have received him with
courtesy and fair mindedness. The civility of the confirmation process
has served the interests of the Nation and reflected very well on the
United States Senate.
And I appreciate the majority leader and the chairman and their
colleagues for setting a tone of dignity and goodwill. The Senate has
confirmed a man with an astute mind and kind heart. As a member of the
Federal judiciary, John Roberts has carried out his duties with
discernment and humanity and without fear or favor.
As Judge Roberts prepares to lead the judicial branch of Government,
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.
With these qualities, the incoming Chief Justice will carry on in
the tradition of his mentor and friend, the late William H. Rehnquist. I
know that Chief Justice Rehnquist had hoped to welcome his former law
clerk as a colleague. Although that was not meant to be, we are thinking
of William Rehnquist today. The Nation honors his memory, and we remain
grateful for his example of integrity and service.
In welcoming an exceptional new leader as Chief Justice, we also
honor the Supreme Court itself, and we mark a day of renewal for one of
the noblest institutions in our land. Judge Roberts, thank you
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for agreeing to serve our country and for accepting this new call to
duty.
And now I ask Senior Associate Justice of the Court, Justice John
Paul Stevens, to please step forward and
administer the oath.
[At this point, Justice John Paul Stevens administered the oath of
office.]
Chief Justice Roberts. Thank you very much. Let me begin by thanking
Justice John Paul Stevens for being here today. In December, Justice
Stevens will mark 30 years of service on the Court. It's a great honor
to take the oath from him, and it will be a great privilege for me to
sit next to him on the bench on Monday.
Thank you, Mr. President, for nominating me. There is no way to
repay the confidence you have shown in me, other than to do the best job
I possibly can do, and I will try to do that every day. And thank you
for the remarkable team that you assembled to assist me throughout this
process. I benefitted greatly from the wisdom, judgment, and plain hard
work of Ed Gillespie, Senator Thompson, Harriet Miers, Bill Kelley, and
everyone on the team. I am very grateful to each and every one of them.
Chairman Specter, Senator Leahy, all the members of the Judiciary
Committee, with this nomination, the Committee faced a very special
challenge. And yet, working together, we met that challenge. We found a
way to get Jack into the Committee room--[laughter]--introduced to the
Committee and back out again without any serious crisis. [Laughter]
Thank you.
More seriously, thank you very much for the conduct of the hearings,
conducting them in a civil and dignified manner as the President
requested on the night of the nomination. I appreciate it very much.
Senator Frist, other Members of the Senate, I view the vote this
morning as confirmation of what is for me a bedrock principle, that
judging is different from politics. And I appreciate the vote very much.
The process we have just completed epitomizes the separation of
powers that is enshrined in our Constitution. My nomination was
announced some 10 weeks ago here in the White House, the home of the
executive branch. This morning, further up Pennsylvania Avenue, it was
approved in the Capitol, the home of the executive [legislative]*
branch. And tomorrow, I will go into the Supreme Court building to join
my colleagues, the home of the judicial branch, to undertake my duties.
The executive and the legislature have carried out their constitutional
responsibilities and ensured the succession of authority and
responsibility in the judicial branch.
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*White House correction.
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What Daniel Webster termed ``the miracle of our Constitution'' is
not something that happens 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. That is the
oath that I just took. I will try to ensure, in the discharge of my
responsibilities, that with the help of my colleagues, I can 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.
Over the past 10 weeks, many people who I did not know came up to me
and offered encouragement and support. Many of them told me that I and
my family was in their prayers and in their hopes. I want to thank all
of those people. I will need in the months and years ahead that
encouragement and those prayers.
Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Members of the Senate. And
thank you, colleagues, for being here to share this special moment.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 2:54 p.m. in the East Room at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Cecilia Marshall, wife of former
Justice Thurgood Marshall; Mary
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Ann Stewart, wife of former Justice Potter Stewart; John G. Roberts,
Sr., and his wife, Rosemary Roberts, Chief Justice Roberts's parents;
and Margaret ``Peggy'' Roberts and Barbara Burke, Chief Justice
Roberts's sisters. Chief Justice Roberts referred to Edward W.
Gillespie, founder and cochairman, Quinn Gillespie & Associates; and
William Kelley, Deputy Counsel to the President.