By Deb Riechmann

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee John Roberts will receive “full, fair and complete” hearings, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee pledged on Wednesday as a group with White House ties unveiled a televised ad campaign aimed at assuring confirmation.
Abortion rights organizations declared their opposition to Roberts, a 50-year-old federal appeals court judge. But as yet, there were no outright calls for his rejection from any of the Senate’s 44 Democrats.
“I urge the Senate to rise to the occasion, provide a fair and civil process and to have Judge Roberts in place before the next court sessions begins on October the third,” said President George W. Bush, the morning after he tapped the Harvard-educated lawyer with a sterling resume and impeccable conservative credentials.
If confirmed, Roberts would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the court. She has frequently been a swing vote in recent years on issues ranging from abortion to affirmative action and states rights. That made Roberts’ nomination a potential political flash point in the Senate and beyond.
Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said hearings would begin in late August or more likely early September. “And I can assure you that the hearings will be full, fair and complete,” he told reporters in the Capitol.
Roberts had breakfast with Bush at the White House, but did not speak to reporters. He saved his talking for later in the day, when the White House scheduled the first in a series of courtesy calls on senators who will ultimately decide whether he takes his place on the high court.

President Bush stands with his nominee for the Supreme Court, John G. Roberts Jr., at the White House Tuesday, July 19, 2005 in Washington. President Bush chose federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday as his first nominee for the Supreme Court, selecting a rock solid conservative whose nomination could trigger a tumultuous battle over the direction of the nation’s highest court.

His first stop was in the office of Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who has pledged to meet Bush’s goal of completing the confirmation proceedings before the court’s new term begins on Oct. 3.
Roberts also had a meeting with Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on his schedule. Bush’s pick, “Has had an impressive legal career,” and other fine qualities. the Nevada lawmaker said in remarks on the Senate floor during the day. But, he added, “they do not automatically qualify John Roberts to serve on the highest court of the land.” He said senators, “Must be convinced that the nominee will respect constitutional principles and protect the constitutional rights of all Americans.”