Sept. 30 - Almost 25 years after serving as a clerk to then-Associate Justice William Rehnquist, John Roberts was sworn in Thursday to replace his former mentor as chief justice of the United States.
"The Senate has confirmed a man with an astute mind and a kind heart," said President Bush during the White House swearing-in ceremony.
"All Americans can be confident that the 17th Chief Justice of the United States will be prudent in exercising judicial power, firm in defending judicial independence and, above all, a faithful guardian of the Constitution."
The ceremony brought to an end the 10-week campaign by the White House to win confirmation for Bush's nominee.
"I will try to ensure, in the discharge of my responsibilities, that, with the help of my colleagues, I can pass on to my children's generation a charter of self-government as strong and as vibrant as the one that Chief Justice Rehnquist passed on to us," Roberts said.
The Senate approved Roberts, the youngest chief justice since John Marshall, by a margin of 78 to 22, with half of the chamber's Democrats voting nay.
The divided Democratic vote on Roberts' confirmation could be beneficial for the party in the next confirmation hearing, said William Marshall, professor at the UNC School of Law.
"I think that having a Democratic split vote is actually probably pretty good for the Democrats," he said.
"It sends a message to the American people that this is not a partisan matter, but it is their particular belief whether (Roberts) is the right person for chief justice."
