http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/09/20/reid_likely_to_oppose_roberts_nomination/Sen. Reid says he'll vote against Roberts
By David Espo, AP Special Correspondent | September 20, 2005
WASHINGTON --Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced his opposition to Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts on Tuesday, voicing doubts about Roberts' commitment to civil rights and accusing the Bush administration of stonewalling requests for documents that might shed light on his views. At the same time, two other Democrats edged toward expressions of support for Roberts, and Reid signaled he would not support any effort by die-hard critics in his own rank-and-file to block a vote on the nomination. "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," the Nevada Democrat said on the Senate floor. "The question is close, and the arguments against him do not warrant extraordinary procedural tactics to block the nomination," Reid said.
Taken together, the developments indicate Roberts remains on course for confirmation next week to succeed the late William H. Rehnquist and become the nation's 17th chief justice -- but may draw significant Democratic opposition. Reid had successfully urged fellow Democrats to refrain from taking positions on the appointment until after the completion of last week's confirmation hearings and the regular Tuesday closed-door meeting of the rank-and-file. He told some associates of his decision in advance, and then informed fellow Democrats of his intentions during the meeting.
Within minutes, other Democrats had begun to signal their intentions. "I've not seen anything that would cause me to vote against" Roberts, said Ben Nelson, who represents Republican Nebraska and often crosses party lines to support President Bush's legislative proposals. "I'm inclined to vote for Roberts unless something else comes up," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. "It's a close call."
Reid said much the same about the narrowness of the decision in remarks that nonetheless pleased women's groups and civil rights organizations that had feared he would support Roberts. "This is a very close question for me. But I must resolve my doubts in favor of the American people whose rights would be in jeopardy if John Roberts turned out to be the wrong person for the job," he said.
Referring to publicly released memos that date to Robert's 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." "No one suggests that John Roberts was motivated by bigotry or animosity toward minorities or women," Reid added. "But these memos lead one to question whether he truly appreciated the history of the civil rights struggle. He wrote about discrimination as an abstract concept, not as a flesh and blood reality for countless of his fellow citizens."
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