Supreme Court Term to Begin With No Word on Nominee

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court opens its 2005-2006 term beginning with a new chief justice, John G. Roberts, to replace the late William Rehnquist. There is still alot of speculation about the Supreme Court's new term because President Bush needs to select yet another justice to replace the soon-to-be-retired Sandra Day O'Connor. Since Bush has not yet selected a new justice when the new term is to begin, O' Connor has agreed to stay with the Supreme Court until a replacement is selected. This year, the Supreme Court will have to deal with cases involving abortion, religion, free speech, and the death penalty. This coming week, the justices will hear arguments on an Oregon law that authorizes "physician-assisted suicide". This law has lead to an extremely large amount of debate, and will need to be considered carefully by the Supreme Court. With the coming trial and future cases of this year, Bush will have to choose a justice that he feels has good morals and can face these problems head on. Also, Bush will most likely choose a justice whose personality resembles that of O'Connor's, who acted as a separating vote between the conservatives and liberals. The speculation and rumors will continue to build until President Bush chooses the replacment justice.

The new Supreme Court justice John G. Roberts has been selected to fill the shoes of William Rehnquist, who passed away several weeks ago. Relating to history, Rehnquist was first elected to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972, which he remained on until his death. He was an Assistant Attorney General during the Nixon administration, and was then nominated by President Nixon and elected by Congress to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan elevated his status to Chief Justice, which he remianed for 19 years. This span makes Rehnquist the fourth-longest-serving Chief Justice in American history.