US President George W. Bush (right) nominated conservative appellate judge John Roberts to succeed the late chief justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist on Monday, September 5, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

US President George W. Bush nominated appeals court judge John Roberts Monday to replace the late William Rehnquist as US chief justice of the Supreme Court.

"Judge Roberts has earned the nation's confidence, and I'm pleased to announce that I will nominate him to serve as the 17th chief justice of the Supreme Court," Bush said in the Oval Office with Roberts at his side.

Bush urged the Senate to move quickly to confirm the 50-year-old conservative in time for the October 3 start of the new term of the Supreme Court. Rehnquist died on Saturday of cancer.

"It's in the interests of the court and the country to have a chief justice on the bench on the first full day of the fall term. The Senate is well along in the process of considering Judge Roberts' qualifications. They know his record, and his fidelity to the law. I'm confident the Senate can complete hearings and confirm him as chief justice within a month," Bush said.

Roberts is already awaiting Senate confirmation hearings this week to serve on the Supreme Court. While some Senate Democrats call Roberts out of the mainstream, his confirmation has seemed assured.

He had been nominated in July by Bush to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring. Bush said he would move to fill the second opening on the high court in a timely manner.

Rehnquist's death gave Bush a historic opportunity to reshape the court, which interprets the US Constitution and decides on major legal questions such as abortion.

A senior administration official said Bush met with Roberts in the White House residence on Sunday and offered him the position Monday morning.

The official said such a move had been at the back of Bush's mind, and that he was considered a natural-born leader for the court.

Liberal groups have expressed opposition to Roberts because of his conservative writings as an attorney for former President Ronald Reagan's administration and his rulings as an appeals court judge. However, it does not appear that his opponents have enough votes to block Roberts' confirmation.

Bush had taken weeks to settle on Roberts once O'Connor announced her retirement in June.

Source: China Daily