Advertisement

Roberts' documents given court insight

COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 27 (UPI) -- Archival documents show on his first day at the U.S. Justice Department in 1981 John Roberts prepared Sandra Day O'Connor for her Supreme Court nomination.

The documents were released this week ahead of Robert's own Supreme Court confirmation process. He was selected to replace O'Connor, who said she would resign when a successor was confirmed.

Advertisement

The White House plans to release some 75,000 pages of documents compiled during Roberts'' government service. The New York Times Wednesday said the National Archives made available some 14,000 pages that cover Roberts' September 1981 to November 1982 tenure as a special assistant to the U.S. attorney general.

The Times said Roberts suggested to O'Connor that, "The approach was to avoid giving specific responses to any direct questions on legal issues likely to come before the court, but demonstrating in the response a firm command of the subject area and awareness of the relevant precedents and arguments."

As to constitutional interpretation, Roberts, in a handwritten memo, said "real courage would be to read the Constitution as it should be read" without considering what recent outside writings had been, the Times said.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines