US: The Democratic leader in the US senate, Harry Reid, has said he will oppose the confirmation of John Roberts as chief justice, citing concerns about the judge's commitment to civil rights.
The surprise move by Mr Reid, who is from the conservative state of Nevada and opposes abortion, will make it easier for other Democrats to vote against Mr Roberts. Mr Reid ruled out using a filibuster to block a vote on the nomination, making Mr Roberts's confirmation in the Republican-dominated senate almost certain.
The senate judiciary committee votes on the nomination today, but it must be confirmed in a vote by the entire senate next week.
The senior Democrat on the committee, Patrick Leahy, said yesterday that he would back Mr Roberts's nomination, although he had some reservations about the judge.
"In my judgment, in my experience, but especially in my conscience, I find it is better to vote yes than no. Judge Roberts is a man of integrity. I can only take him at his word that he does not have an ideological agenda," he said.
Few Democrats have yet signalled how they will vote, but senator Edward Kennedy said yesterday that he would oppose the nomination.
"There is clear and convincing evidence that John Roberts is the wrong choice for chief justice," he said.
Mr Reid said he had been swayed by concerns expressed by civil rights and women's rights leaders, adding that there were "too many unanswered questions" about Mr Roberts.
"I'm not too sure if his heart is as big as his head," Mr Reid said.
During lengthy questioning in the senate last week, Mr Roberts impressed senators with his legal knowledge and expertise, but revealed little about how he would approach the most controversial issues facing the supreme court. These include abortion rights, marriage equality for gays and lesbians, the rights of state legislatures within the US federal system and the authority of the president to overrule congress.
Conservatives hope that a more right-wing supreme court will overturn Roe v Wade, a 1973 ruling that obliges states to permit abortion during the first three months of pregnancy.
Liberals fear that giving more power to states could lead to the overturning of federal laws that guarantee civil rights to minorities.
President George Bush yesterday met two Republican and two Democrat senators to discuss a second vacancy on the supreme court to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring.
Some Democrats hope that a close vote on Mr Roberts will persuade Mr Bush to nominate a moderate to succeed Ms O'Connor, but the president gave no hint of his intentions yesterday.
The Republican chairman of the senate judiciary committee, Arlen Specter, suggested that Mr Bush should delay choosing the second nominee until after Mr Roberts had established himself as chief justice.
"I have raised a certain cautionary signal that I believe the next nomination is going to be a great deal more contentious than the Roberts nomination," Mr Specter said.
The senators suggested a number of possible nominees to Mr Bush, including some women and members of ethnic minorities. Democrats pointed out that if Mr Roberts was to replace a fellow conservative - the late William Rehnquist - the successor to the moderate Ms O'Connor ought to be a moderate.
The president is under great pressure from his conservative base, particularly among the religious right, to seize the opportunity to shift the ideological balance in the supreme court.