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

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement at the conclusion of the first day of hearings on the nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court. Graham is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said: “I thought it was a good day for the U.S. Senate. I thought we acquitted ourselves well on both sides of the aisle. About two and a half months ago, that was not an assured event. “Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg was liberal. She got 96 votes in the Senate. Justice [Antonin] Scalia was conservative. He got 98 votes. How many will Judge Roberts get? If people judge him based on his qualifications and the way he's lived his life, he should get 100. “Judge Roberts passed the ultimate test of anyone who wants to sit on the Supreme Court. To the public at large, I believe they saw a man they would feel comfortable with judging them and their family if they ever found themselves in a courtroom. Judge Roberts spoke from the heart and described his view of the law in a way people could understand. He convinced, I think, anyone who's reasonable that he's going to try his best to be a good judge. “The confirmation hearings have always been about whether or not the president's nominee will get an up-or-down vote. The only way he would not be confirmed is through a filibuster and until recently that's been a rare event in the Senate. After his opening statement today, I don't believe anybody will be able to mount a challenge he's out of the mainstream or he's the kind of person that should not be on the court. “Judge Roberts came across as a guy who knows what he believes, is well schooled in the law, and possesses the intellect and the integrity to sit on the court. He's a conservative. To expect George W. Bush to appoint anyone other than a conservative, you didn't listen to the last two elections.” #####