Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today met with Supreme Court nominee John Roberts in Washington. Graham is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He made this statement following the meeting. “Judge Roberts is an extremely bright and capable individual with an impeccable legal background. I very much enjoyed meeting with him. “It’s my hope the Senate will treat him in a fair and professional manner during the confirmation process. Early indications are that we will and I certainly hope that trend continues. “I do expect Judge Roberts will be aggressively questioned in the Judiciary Committee, but I do not expect him to say how he would vote on any particular case. Questions asking the nominee to do this in advance of hearing a case should be out-of-bounds. The same goes for requests for documents protected under attorney-client privilege. “It’s also improper to use a client’s position against the nominee. Lawyers give legal advice to those they represent and it’s not fair to judge them by the actions and thoughts of their clients. “I hope the hearings do not become a referendum on any single issue. The purpose of the hearing is to give members of the Senate an opportunity to examine the nominee’s qualifications and background. It’s not an opportunity to get them to say how they would rule on cases that may come before the Supreme Court in future years.” ####