The ABA Official Report on John Roberts

The American Bar Association, who has advised the Senate on Supreme Court Nominees for the past half century, has released their official statement on John Roberts. Attached is the official report presented to the Senate by Stephen Tober, head of the ABA’s Judicial Review Committee.

Rarely has a body come to the conclusion so unanimously regarding an individual. The report is a glowing testimony to John Roberts, the man and the judge.

To read the whole report, click here. (PDF FILE)

Some excerpts from the report. These are comments by the committee members regarding John Roberts on topics such as integrity, judicial temperment, and competence.

Integrity:

“He is probably the most honorable guy I know and he is a man of his word.”

“I would be amazed if anyone had any greater integrity on either a personal or professional level.”

“He’s a man of extraordinary integrity and character.”

“He is honest and straightforward and I do not have the slightest hesitation about any aspect of his integrity.”

On the basis of our interviews with Judge Roberts and with over three hundred judges, lawyers and others who know Judge Roberts professionally, the Standing Committee concluded that Judge Roberts is a man of impeccable integrity.

Judicial Temperment:

“He’s collegial and, if he disagrees, he does so in a respectful way.”

“With respect to his demeanor, Judge Roberts is an even-paced guy, very low-key, open and fair-minded.”

“He has one hundred percent integrity, open-mindedness, demeanor and integrity.”

“He is a very appropriate, polite, well-tempered and pleasant individual.”

“He is very easy to deal with in a social setting.”

“He is not just an engaging person, but he is very interested in hearing and conversing with others.”

“He is compassionate and an extremely good listener.”

Professional Competence

Judge Roberts has participated actively in legal organizations and has lectured and written about the law throughout his career. Judge Roberts was praised repeatedly by his peers during the Standing Committee’s investigation for his excellent analytical writing skills. Representative comments include these:

“He is brilliant and he understands the importance of the independence of the judiciary and the role of the rule of law.”

“His opinions are clear, succinct and very well-written.”

“His opinions are in the mainstream of American jurisprudence.”

“His competence is off the charts, and he is one of the smartest lawyers I have ever worked with.”

“He asks good and tough questions but with a great manner.”

“He is one of the best appellate lawyers in the country.”

“As an advocate, Judge Roberts was the best oral advocate around practicing before the United States Supreme Court.”

“He has good intellect, good judgment and a lot of common sense. He is well-balanced as a person and a lawyer.”

“John Roberts is superb as an advocate.”

The ABA has traditionally not been as friendly to Republicans as it has been to Democrats. However,  the reviews on Roberts tend to make one think that he is a man amongst boys, a paragon of legal temperment and virtue, and has the potential to be one of the great Chief Justices of the Supreme Court.

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