I really can't imagine that anyone following the Roberts confirmation hearings for Chief Justice of the SCOTUS can be pleased with the performances of the Democratic Senators on the Judiciary Committee. They have engaged in speechmaking (Biden), pointless and inept questioning (DiFi), and just plain old rants (pick one). Not one of them has dented Roberts' carefully crafted demeanor or impressed the american public with the importance and seriousness of those hearings.
Below the fold are questions I would have asked. You be the judge (/snark)!
- Would you please give the committee your estimate as to the age of the earth; we would like to determine the breadth of your general knowledge. It is important that a SCOTUS Justice have a wide breadth of knowledge.
- Do you believe that the creation story in the Bible is literally true?
- As a citizen, not as an expert, do you believe in biological evolution as the method through which modern humans came to exist?
- Do you believe in 'intelligent design' or 'creationism' as the method through which modern humans came to exist?
- Was it the intent of the writers of the Constitution to create a Christian nation, with other faiths, agnostics, and athiests excluded from participating in the affairs of state?
- If, in the course of your duties as a Supreme, you should encounter a situation where the law in question is in direct conflict with either Catholic doctrine or your own personal religious beliefs, would you decide on the basis of legal precedent and rational thought or your religious beliefs?
- As a general principle, do you believe the government should be able to tell citizens what they can and cannot do to their own bodies?
- As a general principle, do you believe it is OK for the US to preemptively attack another nation?
- Do you believe black people are genetically inferior to white people?
- Can you define pi?
Since it was pretty well known that Roberts would refuse to answer any direct questions about legal issues or concepts that would reveal his true judicial philosophy, Dems should have asked questions like the above in order to force him to repudiate generally-held rightwing concepts or reveal himself as an ignorant ass. The last question about the definition of pi is just my own dig at lawyers who are so proud of their reasoning abilities but who know little about the physical world (my bad).