Bush picks Roberts for chief justice

WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush has nominated conservative appeals court judge John Roberts to replace the late William Rehnquist as Supreme Court chief justice.

The move, if approved, would spring him straight into the country's top judicial position.

"Judge Roberts has earned the nation's confidence, and I'm pleased to announce that I will nominate him to serve as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court," Bush said in the Oval Office with Roberts at his side.

The choice was to a certain degree a sentimental one, given that Roberts was once a law clerk for Rehnquist, who died on Saturday of thyroid cancer.

It was also a shrewd political move because, as a newcomer already nominated to serve as one of the high court's eight associate justices, Roberts' background and credentials have been scrutinised and no major obstacles found.

Rehnquist's death at age 80 left a rare two openings on the high court and gave Bush the chance to move it to the right for decades to come. The Supreme Court interprets the US Constitution and is the final arbitrator on such hot-button issues as civil rights, abortion rights and gay rights.

Bush, grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, urged the Senate to move quickly to confirm Roberts, 50, in time for the October 3 start of the Supreme Court's new term.

"The Senate is well along in the process of considering Judge Roberts' qualifications. They know his record, and his fidelity to the law. I'm confident the Senate can complete hearings and confirm him as chief justice within a month," he said.

If confirmed, Roberts would be the youngest chief justice in more than 200 years. John Marshall was 45 when he was appointed chief justice on January 20, 1801, by John Adams, the second president of the United States.

Senate Democrats vowed to give Roberts intense scrutiny given the enormous power the court wields at the top of the judicial branch of the US government. While some Senate Democrats call Roberts out of the mainstream, his confirmation has seemed assured.

Bush nominated Roberts in July to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring, but said on Monday he wanted Roberts to replace Rehnquist instead.

- REUTERS