Bennett announced on the Senate floor Wednesday that he will support Roberts to take the court's center seat, joining Republican Senate colleague Orrin Hatch of Utah in backing the replacement for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

The Senate is expected to vote today on the now-predictable confirmation of Roberts to the top judicial post.

Roberts “will be a superb chief justice and I will vote for him with great confidence,” Bennett said at his turn on the floor Wednesday as Republican colleagues also announced support and some Democrats declared their opposition to Roberts.

Bennett railed against left-wing groups opposing Roberts confirmation, saying that their angst comes from losing the presidential election and wanting to turn the Supreme Court into a body of super-legislators.

“Nominations are not elections,” Bennett said, adding later: “We in the Senate should not condone those who are trying to turn the appointment process into an electoral processÉ . If this man is qualified, he should be confirmed. If he's unpopular with the electorate, that should not matter. There's no question that John Roberts is qualified.”

Hatch, an ardent support of Roberts through the process, said on the Senate floor Tuesday that Roberts was a “sound investment” in the future.

“I think it likely that one day historians will conclude that in making John Roberts our 17th chief justice, the president and Senate made a wise choice that helped maintain and advance the rule of law for all present and future citizens of the United States,” Hatch said.

tburr@sltrib.com