The US Senate Judiciary Committee opens its first Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 11 years today with an examination of chief justice nominee John Roberts.
Barring a shock, Mr Roberts seems headed toward confirmation by the full Republican-led Senate, perhaps by the time the high court begins its new term on October 3rd.
But Mr Roberts, a federal appeals court judge the past two years, faces what promises to be a gruelling hearing.
Chairman Arlen Specter said his panel faces its "biggest challenge of the year and perhaps the decade" in deciding whether to recommend that the Senate confirm President Bush's nomination of Mr Roberts to succeed the late William Rehnquist and become the nation's 17th chief justice.
The Pennsylvania Republican said Mr Roberts should expect questions on many controversial issues, including the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion.
"This hearing is the only opportunity for the American people to examine what kind of justice John Roberts will dispense if promoted to the Supreme Court," Senator Patrick Leahy Vermont, the panel's top Democrat, said in his prepared opening statement.
Mr Roberts comes with impeccable Republican credentials, a pleasant demeanour and a record that has drawn praise from fellow conservatives and concern from liberals.
If confirmed, he would be the youngest chief justice in two centuries and would be positioned to lead the court for decades, helping to shape the American way of life on matters from civil rights to gay rights.