simi valley (ap) | Two decisions by Supreme Court nominee John Roberts while acting as a Reagan White House lawyer may give an indication of his attitude on issues relating to the Jewish community.
While working in the Justice Department for the Reagan administration in 1985, Roberts wrote in a memo to his supervisor that he would not object to a constitutional amendment on school prayer. Referring to a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a school prayer law in Alabama, Roberts wrote that the idea that the “Constitution prohibits such a moment of silent reflection — or even silent ‘prayer’ — seems indefensible.”
Roberts also urged the administration to dodge a proposal from the family of Raoul Wallenberg that sought to bring new pressure on the Soviets to disclose what became of the heroic Swedish diplomat.
In late 1983, the family’s lawyer urged the Reagan administration to invoke a 19th century law that gave the president the power to “use such means … necessary and proper’ to seek the release of citizens seized by foreign governments. At the time some believed that Wallenberg, an honorary U.S. citizen, was languishing in a Soviet prison.
Reagan had previously called on the Soviets to account for Wallenberg, who is credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from Hitler’s death camps. But Roberts advised the White House to sidestep the proposal to use the old law for leverage with the Soviets.
The family’s lawyer, Morris H. Wolff, called Roberts’ conclusion “appalling.’
“The Reagan administration had a unique opportunity to rescue Wallenberg at that very moment. I had credible evidence that Wallenberg was alive and well at that time,’ said Wolff, who once served in the Kennedy Justice Department.
Roberts “took not only an expedient response, but a cowardly response,’ Wolff said in a telephone interview.