Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts will enter full Senate confirmation hearings next week with approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The committee voted 13-5 yesterday afternoon to recommend Roberts for confirmation.
The Senate will almost definitely approve Roberts.
Theodore Ruger, a Penn Law professor, said that the the confirmation is nearly assured.
"I'm guessing that this vote will be at least 70 percent in approval," Ruger said.
He added that despite the attention given to the vote, it may not have significant political implications.
"The simple replacement of [previous Chief Justice William] Rehnquist with Chief Justice Roberts will not have a dramatic effect on the court's voting dynamic," Ruger said.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) -- who chairs the Judiciary Committee and asked Roberts a number of questions about his standpoints on different issues -- said in a press conference that it is not possible for nominees to say how they will vote on prospective cases.
College sophomore and College Republicans Treasurer Evan Richter said he does not expect Roberts to make any drastic decisions.
"I think he is going to do a great job interpreting the Constitution as it is," Richter said. "I don't think he is going to try to overturn abortion ... or have a radical court."
Richter added that Roberts has the qualities that he would like to see in a Supreme Court justice.
"I think he is an outstanding guy," Richter said. "I think that is important in judges to have someone you can trust, and I think you can trust Roberts."
College senior and President of the Penn College Democrats Jess Smyth said the organization is not doing anything specific to protest the nomination of Roberts, who is generally viewed as conservative.
Smyth said, however, that she hopes that students are paying close attention to the situation, considering its political gravity.
"We are making sure that people are aware of it because it is a huge historical issue," Smyth said.
Ruger said he does not expect any surprises or obstacles for Roberts in his Senate hearings, which are scheduled to begin Monday.
"He didn't do anything last week to give ammunition to the Democrats to filibuster his nomination," Ruger said. "Even when he was first nominated ... he was viewed at the time as a more acceptable choice than many that had been floated by the Bush administration."
