Bush Library to Open Additional Records Relating to John Roberts
Press Release · Monday, August 29, 2005

WHAT: The Bush Library will open 47 pages from the records of the White House Office of Records Management, the White House Counsel’s Office, and the Office of Presidential Personnel. Of the 47 pages, 33 pages will be opened in their entirety and 14 pages will be opened in part. The Bush Library has determined that 20 pages will be withheld. These records have been processed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Judge Roberts was Deputy Solicitor General during the Bush Administration. President George H.W. Bush nominated Judge Roberts to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit in January 1992, but a Senate confirmation vote was never held on his nomination. The Bush Library staff has identified 136 pages of records related to Judge Roberts. Sixty-nine of these pages have already been opened in response to previous FOIA requests.

WHERE: These records will be available in two formats:

• The Research Room at the George Bush Presidential Library, 1000 George Bush Drive West, College Station, TX will open reference copies of the documents.
• These records will also be available on the Bush Library web site: http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/john_roberts_documents.html.

WHEN: This group of records from the Bush Library will be open to the public on August 29, 2005 at 11 am CDT (12 pm EDT).

BACKGROUND: The requirements for review and release of Presidential records are established by the Presidential Records Act of 1978 and Executive Order 13233. This process is very labor-intensive and requires that National Archives staff conduct a page by page, word for word review of all records in order to protect, as required by law, sensitive information such as national security, personal privacy and law enforcement information. Following the National Archives review, by law, both the representatives of the former and the incumbent Presidents must have an opportunity to review all of the records, to determine if any of them are subject to a constitutionally-based privilege and whether such privilege will be asserted.

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For further information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs Office at 202-501-5526.

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