Roberts dodges abortion issue

JOHN Roberts, the nominee to become the United States' chief justice, declined to say yesterday if he would reverse the long-standing decision legalising abortion.

A conservative appeals court judge, Mr Roberts said that he believed the US constitution accorded Americans the right to privacy, the key underpinning of the landmark ruling.

Mr Roberts told the panel considering his nomination to lead the US Supreme Court that he respects legal precedent, which includes the 1973 court decision on Roe v Wade that legalised abortion. But, noting the precedent of other Supreme Court nominees in declining to prejudge cases that may come before them, he would not say if he favoured reversing the ruling.

"I feel the need to stay away from a discussion of particular cases," Mr Roberts told the committee chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, during his first questioning by the Senate panel considering his nomination as US chief justice.

Mr Specter asked: "But there's no doctrinal basis erosion in Roe, is there?"

Mr Roberts, George Bush's nominee to replace the late chief justice, William Rehnquist, said: "Well, I feel the need to stay away from a discussion of particular cases. While I'm happy to talk about the importance of precedent, I don't think I should get into the application of those principles in a particular area."

Despite the questioning over the volatile issue, Mr Roberts appeared headed toward confirmation by the full Republican-led Senate, perhaps by the time the high court begins its new term on 3 October.

If confirmed, Mr Roberts, 50, would be the youngest chief justice in two centuries. He would be positioned to lead the court for decades, helping to shape the American way of life on matters from civil rights to gay rights.

The hearings are due to conclude tomorrow.