For most people not directly caught up in the maelstrom swirling around the appointment of new justices to the Supreme Court, the whole process can seem a trifle strange. The appointments of top judges in other countries barely make the news. In America they have often been a political circus. After years of respite, this peculiar ritual has started again as the Senate began its confirmation hearings this week on John Roberts, George Bush's choice to replace the late William Rehn-quist as chief justice of the Supreme Court. With so many other problems piling up, Mr Bush seems to have little appetite for this battle. His choice of Mr Roberts, a smooth and colourless conservative, seems designed to avoid the partisan brawl which Supreme Court appointments have so often provoked. But even if he succeeds this time, Mr Bush has another seat on the court to fill, which seems bound to produce a bitter fight. And whether Mr Bush likes it or not, he may have to make one or two more Supreme Court appointments before leaving office; a number of justices are old or ailing.
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