Boehner staff gets private swearing-in by Chief Justice Roberts

Chief Justice John Roberts Swears in Boehner's staff
ABC's Ariane de Vogue reports: Behind closed doors Chief Justice John Roberts swore in members of speaker designate John A. Boehner’s staff this morning during a private ceremony. The Constitution requires all federal employees to take an oath to support the Constitution, but it’s not every day the oath is administered by the Chief Justice of the United States. Boehner invited Roberts to appear, and the speaker designee’s spokesman believes it could be the first time staff was sworn

Justice Roberts swears in Boehner's staff
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker-designate John Boehner's staff was sworn in Tuesday by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, a congressional aide said. The aide said Boehner, an Ohio Republican, asked Roberts to perform the ceremony and also attended the swearing-in, CNN reported. "As Boehner said on election night, this isn't a time for celebration; it's a time for focus, commitment and tough choices. The challenges that lie ahead for our nation demand a serious approach," the aide to...

Supreme Court Chief Justice Swears In Boehner's Staff
John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, swore in President Obama - twice. But Chief Justice Roberts is apparently Bipartisan in his willingness to swear in federal employees. On Tuesday morning, he presided over a closed-door ceremony in the offices of the soon-to-be House Speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio, to swear in the lawmaker’s staff a day before Republicans are scheduled to take control of the House chamber. Employees of the Federal Government are all required...

Chief Justice Roberts to Privately Swear in Boehner Aides to Uphold the Constitution
Off to a good start. (Politico)- In another statement of the new House Republican majority’s commitment to the Constitution, aides to incoming Speaker John Boehner plan to take their oath of office Tuesday morning — a day before the same oath is administered to the 435 House members of the new Congress. At Boehner’s request, Chief Justice John Roberts will preside over the staff ceremony, which may be a first in congressional history. Aides in Boehner’s Washington and di...

John Roberts to Swear in John Boehner's Aides
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in aides to incoming John Boehner on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. (Credit: AP Photo/Jay Reeves) Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to incoming John Boehner aides on Tuesday, Politico reports, in a move seemingly designed to emphasize the imminent speaker's commitment to constitutional reverence. According to Politico, incoming House Speaker Boehner specifically requested that Roberts preside over the ceremony, wh...

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States..."
"... against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." That's the wording of the oath of office taken by members of Congress, used yesterday as Chief Justice John Roberts "presided over a closed-door ceremony in the offices of the soon-to-be ...

Chief Justice Will Swear In Boehner's Staff
Politico reports incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) asked Chief Justice John Roberts to "preside over the staff ceremony, which may be a first in congressional history. Aides in Boehner's Washington and district offices are expected to take the oath in the Capitol in a private, low-key event with no press coverage." ...

On history's stage: Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.
In January 1993 principal deputy U.S. Solicitor General John Roberts Jr. was arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case brought by an inmate in a Nevada penitentiary. The Prisoner, a nonsmoker who had been sharing a cell with a five-pack-a-day man, claimed that being subjected to so much Secondhand Smoke amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of his Eighth Amendment Constitutional Rights. The United States, represented by Roberts, was siding with Nevada in arguing that the ...

Mark Your Calendars
It's not official until Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) is sworn in as the new House Speaker and can make the invitation, but President Obama's State of the Union address is scheduled for January 25. ...

Confirming evidence: The breakdown in advice and consent
Chief Justice John Roberts' State of the Judiciary report released last week raises the specter of partisan gridlock over the selection of Federal Judges: "Each political party has found it easy to turn on a dime from decrying to defending the blocking of Judicial Nominations, depending on their changing political fortunes." He is not the first chief justice to rail against the Senate's treatment of nominees. Indeed, observers of the courts have been wondering if and when Roberts would take up...

Obama Will Try Again On More Than A Dozen Judicial Nominees
What is this? The White House will tomorrow renominate more than a dozen Candidates for judicial positions on federal courts, a person familiar with the administration's plans tells NPR. The Senate failed to vote on the nominees before the last Congressional term expired last month. In all, the Senate never took an Up or Down vote on 19 of the Obama Administration's judicial nominees, leaving them stranded at the end of the congressional session. Among those the president will ren...

Scalia Agrees To Speak To New Conservative Members on the Constitution
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia is again in the midst of Controversy with his decision to accept an invitation from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) to speak to incoming conservative members about the Constitution as part of their training. Bachmann, the founder of the House’s Tea Party Caucus, is leading efforts to Repeal Health Care and seek new Legislation based on a more conservative view of the Constitution. The decision to participate in such an event shows exceedingly poor judgment....

Obama Will Try Again On More Than A Dozen Judicial Nominees
What is this? The White House will tomorrow renominate more than a dozen Candidates for judicial positions on federal courts, a person familiar with the administration's plans tells NPR. The Senate failed to vote on the nominees before the last Congressional term expired last month. In all, the Senate never took an Up or Down vote on 19 of the Obama Administration's judicial nominees, leaving them stranded at the end of the congressional session. Among those the president will ren...

Bio: John Boehners return to power an improbable comeback
WASHINGTON – Just hours after he was ousted from the House Republican leadership that November evening in 1998, Rep. John Boehner enjoyed dinner with 30 of his closest friends and aides at a posh Washington restaurant known for its expensive porterhouse steaks. Over glasses of Red Wine and dinner, Boehner cracked jokes and thanked those who had rallied to him in a lost cause. And while one of those who attended the dinner insisted “it wasn’t a wake, it was a celebration,’...

Livestream of Morning in America in DC
Yes, it's morning in America again. In a few hours Republican John Boehner will be the Speaker of the House. The Pledge to America Facebook page will livestream the swearing-in of Boehner, his opening remarks, and the opening session of ther 112th Congress. The stream will go live at 12:00pm Noon EST (11:00am Central)....

Boehner-era begins, Opening day for new House majority
Goodbye Pelosi, hello Boehner. The Republicans will officially take control of the House on Wednesday, ending two years of Democratic dominance and ushering a new era as 87 new Republican House members are sworn in. Democrat Nancy Pelosi will hand over her speaker of the House gavel to GOP Rep. John Boehner. Republican leaders in the House say they plan to undo as much of the President's agenda as possible before President Obama delivers his annual State of the Union address later this month. ...

Excerpts From Boehner's Speech: Congress Can No Longer 'Fall Short'
Incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) -- who will officially take the gavel this afternoon -- will say in his opening Speech that the American People voted to "end business as usual" and the 112th Congress can "no longer fall short." In his prepared remarks, Boehner also said the American People have humbled the new Congress, and want their representatives to be honest and accountable. Here are excerpts from Boehner's prepared remarks: "We gather here today at a time of great challenges....

Wednesday's live video events
A new era begins in Congress today, as Republicans take the majority in the House of Representatives.  CNN.com Live is your home for all the happenings on Capitol Hill. 9:00 am ET - Congressional Black Caucus event - Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak at a ceremonial swearing-in for members of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington. 10:30 am ET - Pentagon briefing on Afghanistan - U.S. Army Col. Andrew Poppas briefs reporters on current Military operations in three A...

John Boehner Becomes Speaker of the House (The Atlantic Wire)
WASHINGTON, DC – After capturing the energy of conservative Activists to lead his party to a historic election, John Boehner becomes Speaker of the House today. Now comes the hard part. For months, Boehner has been carefully planning for his new gig, The New York Times' Carl Hulse reports, which could prove difficult as he tries to manage the Tea Party-backed freshmen representatives who perhaps don't yet understand how Washington works. Boehner's first moves will help keep Tea Partiers...

Local Congressman Boehner becomes speaker of the House today
WASHINGTON – Local congressman John Boehner, who today will become just the third Ohio lawmaker to be speaker of the U.S. House, will tell House members that Americans in November “voted to end business as usual and today we begin carrying out those instructions.’’ In a Speech delivered to the House moments after being sworn in, the West Chester Township Republican will press the new Republican majority to aggressively reduce federal spending at a time when the government...

Family affair?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-OH) released the following names of family members who will be seated in the House gallery to view the Swearing-in of the 112th Congress and the Election of the Speaker of the House. Gallery guests include Boehner’s wife, Debbie, his two daughters Lindsay and Tricia, and 10 of his 11 brothers and sisters, among other family attending the ceremony....

From U.S. heartland to House speaker, Boehner eyes cuts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Boehner, the product of a tough upbringing in America's heartland, will bring a natural mistrust of Big Government when he takes over as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The conservative Republican -- a former small businessman who worked his way through college as a janitor -- will be in a position to slam the brakes on President Barack Obama's largely liberal agenda, push Spending Cuts and shake up Washington. Having led Republicans to vict...

Boehner's day: Subdued, simple
John Boehner has launched the biggest day in his Political Career with a private prayer service, a simple Ohio-themed lunch party and humble Speech before the House he’s about to take over. Boehner, who grew up mopping floors in his father’s bar outside Cincinnati, will be sworn in as speaker of the House around 2:30 this afternoon, marking the first Republican speaker since 2007 when Democrats snatched the House back after 11 years in the minority. Continue Reading Text Size - + ...

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Opening of the 112th Congress
Most have never heard of Lorraine Miller. But for about two-and-a-half hours today, Miller will be one of the most-powerful people in Washington. Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) is poised to wield the gavel as the 61st Speaker of the House later today. But before Boehner seizes the gavel, Miller gets it first. She's the one who will call the House to order at precisely noon to launch the 112th Congress. For the uninitiated, Miller is the Clerk of the House. A former aide to Speakers Tom Foley (D-WA) an...

Chief Justice Roberts Laments Obstruction of Judicial Nominees
While none of the many headlines reporting on his address were exactly on target, Roberts delivered the type of call for reform of the Judicial Nominations process Greenhouse first urged several months ago, identifying a "persistent problem" in the "process of filling judicial vacancies" caused by obstruction of judicial nominations. "This has created acute difficulties for some judicial districts. Sitting judges in those districts have been burdened with extraordi...