News that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts performed pro bono work on behalf of gay rights attorneys in the landmark Supreme Court Romer v. Evans case, originally reported by the Los Angeles Times ("Roberts Donated Help to Gay Rights Cause"), has ignited concern among social conservatives. While the pro bono work was at his firm's request, Roberts showed no hesitation, and the gay-rights attorneys praised his efforts in preparing them to go before the Court and successfully argue their case. All of which led right-wing radio host Sean Hannity to opine for several hours on Thursday that the disclosure seems to indicate Roberts does not share the judicial philosophy of Scalia, Rehnquist and Thomas.
The revelations could cause a number of social conservatives to turn on Roberts. A more interesting question is what gay political lobbies such as the Human Rights Campaign, which opposes Roberts over abortion, will do.
If left-liberals continue to work against Roberts, it's doubtful they'll actually get a nominee better on abortion, but now it's certain they won't get a nominee better on gay issues.
Update: The New York Times reports that "Liberal critics of Judge Roberts, however, continued to assail him on Thursday as a foe of civil rights," but that "James C. Dobson, chairman of the evangelical group Focus on the Family, said Judge Roberts's work in the case was 'not welcome news to those of us who advocate for traditional values.' "
From 365gay.com: "Conservatives 'Concerned' Over Judge Roberts Gay Past" (how's that for a bit of innuendo!).
The HRC website still has a banner saying Roberts "threatens to tip the Supreme Court to the far right," and a hit piece charging he would "undermine a woman's right to choose" and lacks "commitment to environmental and other vital protections," as well as a quickie response downplaying Thursday's news, saying it merely "re-emphasizing the need for full examination" of Roberts, especially regarding his views on abortion.