It'll be interesting to see which document John Roberts decides to embrace when it comes to abortion cases (don't bother asking him; he'll dance around it like an overcaffeinated Gene Kelly). Under 28 USC 453, every justice takes an oath to "faithfully and impartially discharge" duties "under the Constitution and laws of the United States". This brings to mind 28 USC 455, which provides that a justice "SHALL disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned". In 1995, Pope John Paul II condemned abortion ex cathedra in his "Evangelium Vitae" encyclical as "an unspeakable crime" and ordained that ALL the faithful (no exceptions are made for Roman Catholic justices) must "oppose" and "vote" against it or they may have to resign. So, the question remains: will John Roberts obey 28 USC 455 and disqualify himself in abortion cases, or will he violate U.S. law and side with Catholic doctrine? Serving two masters affords one little rest, eh, Johnny? UPDATE: Well, it didn't take too long for a problem to spring up (albeit down a different road); will Roberts find the courage to dismiss himself in the upcoming Oregon assisted-suicide ruling (where his Catholicism presents an obvious impartiality)? Two weeks in, and he's already pissing off millions (what a bundle of hypocritical baggage this guy totes around)!