In an unprecedented prime time address, President Bush announced last night that he has chosen a conservative, young judge, John Roberts, as his first appointee to the US Supreme Court. Roberts is a solidly conservative Republican who served in the administrations of George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan. Roberts is 50 years old and would likely serve on the court for many decades. His nomination drew almost immediate criticism from women’s rights groups and Senate Democrats who say he has been unwilling to answer questions about his views on key issues. Roberts has argued more than three dozen cases before the Supreme Court. He wrote the government’s brief in a 1991 case in which the Supreme Court held that government could prohibit doctors and clinics that receive federal funds from discussing abortion with their patients. In his brief, Roberts wrote: “We continue to believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and should be overruled.” He also stated that the 1973 Court decision finds “no support in the text, structure, or history of the Constitution.” In other cases, Roberts has argued that the Supreme Court should invalidate a federal affirmative action program; that the Constitution permits religious ceremonies at public high school graduations; and that environmental groups lacked the right to sue under the Endangered Species Act. He was part of a three-judge panel that handed Bush an important victory last week when it ruled that the military tribunals of prisoners held at Guantanamo were legal.