Public Backs John Roberts Nomination, Wants to Know Abortion Position 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 6, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new Gallup poll reveals a majority of Americans favor John Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court and shows they want to know more about his position on controversial political issues like abortion.
A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows 55% of the public wants Roberts to answer more specific questions about his judicial views rather than limiting them and his responses to general judicial philosophy, which 42 percent favor.
Republicans are more likely to say they want to know about Roberts’ judicial philosophy while Democrats are more likely to say they want to know about specific issues.
When Americans are asked what they most want to learn about Roberts, the most frequent response concerns his views on abortion.
Without naming any issues, Americans were asked to name a subject or subjects about which they want to know more. Some 28 percent of those polled picked abortion and civil rights and economic issues tied for a distant second with just 6 percent naming them.
Just two percent picked stem cell research and three percent named moral issues or religious issues, which would likely include abortion.
Democrats (37%) are more likely than independents (22%) or Republicans (26%) to want to learn about Roberts’ views on abortion.
Though some Americans have not made up their mind, those who have favor Roberts’ Supreme Court bid by a 2-1 margin.
The poll finds 52% of Americans currently in favor of Roberts’ confirmation, while 26% are opposed and another 22% have no opinion. That tracks closely with two previous Gallup polls showing Roberts receiving 59 percent support in July and 51 percent support in August.
The poll also finds that most Americans say they plan to follow the hearings at least somewhat closely, which may take on added meaning given President George W. Bush’s decision to nominate Roberts for chief justice.
Roughly 6 in 10 Americans say they plan to follow the hearings very (18%) or somewhat (41%) closely.
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,007 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug. 28-30, 2005.
