Roberts Confirmed as Chief Justice

John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to be the next chief justice of the U.S., got the nod from more than three-fourths of the Senate Thursday, and he will take his seat on the bench when the Supreme Court's new term starts next week.

The Senate's confirmation, by a vote of 78-22, means Roberts will be the 17th chief justice in the nation's history. Going into the vote, Roberts was believed to be a virtual lock for getting confirmed.

Roberts, 50 years old, was originally selected by President Bush to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the Supreme Court. That changed when William Rehnquist died earlier this month from cancer; that led to Roberts being tapped to preside over the court.

He was previously a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had backed Roberts by a margin of 13-5 before the full Senate voted. All of the 22 votes against Roberts' confirmation came from the Democratic side of the aisle, but the same number went in favor of the pick.

President Bush hasn't named a nominee for the spot that O'Connor will be vacating. She is expected to remain on the Supreme Court until the confirmation of her replacement.