[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 39 (Monday, October 3, 2005)]
[Pages 1471-1473]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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' 
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 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' 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.

[[Page 1472]]

    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 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.
    * White House correction.
    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

[[Page 1473]]

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 Ann Stewart, wife of former Justice 
Potter Stewart; John G. Roberts, Sr., and his wife, Rosemary Roberts, 
Chief Justice Roberts' parents; Margaret ``Peggy'' Roberts and Barbara 
Burke, Chief Justice Roberts' sisters. Chief Justice Roberts referred to 
Edward W. Gillespie, founder and co-chairman, Quinn Gillespie & 
Associates; and William Kelley, Deputy Counsel to the President.