SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose vote on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts could guide other Democrats, said Monday she will scrutinize his views on abortion and congressional authority to set social policy.
She called the impending debate over Roberts' nomination a "big, big deal."
"I don't think in the last couple of decades there has been a Supreme Court appointment that could more tip the balance of the court," Feinstein said in a speech to several hundred Silicon Valley business executives. "That's how mega this vote is."
In July, President Bush nominated Roberts, a federal appeals court judge, to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings are set to begin shortly after Labor Day.
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