When the Senate Judiciary Committee opens confirmation hearings Sept. 6 to consider John G. Roberts to be the Supreme Courts 109th justice, lawmakers will be questioning a jurist familiar with construction cases and a range of business and environmental issues.
Roberts, nominated July 19 by President Bush to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day OConnor, weighed in on cases affecting business interests during his brief tenure as an appellate court judge. "He is highly regarded and well respected by the legal and business communities," says Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But environmentalists have concerns about his views.