John Roberts Gets "Well-Qualified" Rating From Lawyers Group 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 18, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — John Roberts has received a "well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association, normally a liberal group that has come under fire from pro-life advocates for rating pro-life judges lower than others. The ABA revealed the rating Wednesday and Roberts receiving the ranking on a unanimous vote.
The rating also comes as the Senate Judiciary Committee announced plans for the September 6 hearings it will conduct on Roberts’ Supreme Court nomination.
Plans calls for each of the 18 members of the panel, ten Republicans and eight Democrats, to be able to question Roberts for one hour each. The panel will also hold one hearing that will be closed to the public so Roberts can be more candid in his answers.
The new rating was the fourth for Roberts from the lawyers group.
He was designated as well qualified in 2001 when he was nominated for a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and again in 2003 when he was re-nominated and confirmed. He was also rated well-qualified as an appeals court nominee in 1992, but the Senate never considered that nomination.
A 15-member panel of attorneys from the ABA ranked Roberts and he could have received ratings of "well qualified," "qualified" and "not qualified."
During the hearings, each senator will get 50 minutes to ask questions with 30 coming in the first round and 20 coming in the second round.
Roberts will give an opening statement on the first day of the hearings and each senator will give a 10-minute opening statement.
