The Senate voted 78 to 22 on Thursday to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. as the 17th justice of the United States. All 55 Republicans, plus 22 Democrats and the one independent, voted to confirm Roberts. A number of prominent Democrats, including minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Hillary Clinton of New York and Maria Cantwell of Washington, voted no. After the vote, Roberts was immediately sworn in at a ceremony in the White House. His first official day of work will be Monday, October 3, the start of the court's October 2005-2006 term. On that day, the court will hear arguments in Wagnon v. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, an attempt by the state of Kansas to impose a distribution tax on gasoline sold on the reservation. Get the Story:
Roberts Confirmed as 17th Chief Justice (The Washington Post 9/30)
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The Job of a Lifetime? You Got That Right. (The Washington Post 9/30)
Senate Confirms Roberts as 17th Chief Justice (The New York Times 9/30)
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