John Roberts: Chief Justice, US Supreme Court Age: 53 Homebase: Born in Buffalo, N.Y., now lives in Bethesda, M.D.
Precis: Appointed Chief Justice in 2005 after establishing himself as associate counsel to Reagan, an appointee to the D.C. court of appeals, and a private practicing lawyer, John Robert's opinions have included restrictive new abortion policies.
Work in Progress: In a June 2008 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the rights of terrorism suspects held in prisons such as Guantanamo Bay to petition for a writ of habeas corpus, or in English, the right to request to be released from potentially unlawful detention. Chief Justice Roberts, one of the four justices who opposed the final decision of the court viewed the ruling as a step backwards and could jeopardize national security. Roberts argues that these detainees are not law abiding citizens, but rather enemy combatants, and are therefore not protected by the constitution.
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