Sept. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he is opposing John Roberts to be U.S. chief justice and lead the Supreme Court.

``No one doubts that John Roberts is an excellent lawyer and an affable person,'' Reid of Nevada said on the floor of the Senate today. ``But at the end of this process, I frankly have too many unanswered questions about the nominee to justify a vote confirming him to this enormously important lifetime position.''

Named by President George W. Bush to replace the late William Rehnquist, Roberts is expected to easily win confirmation. Republicans hold 55 of 100 seats in the Senate.

Roberts, 50, was questioned for more than 20 hours last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will vote on his nomination in two days. The full Senate is scheduled to consider it the following week.

In his speech today, Reid said that the decision ``is a very close question'' and stopped short of encouraging his fellow Democrats to oppose Roberts. The minority leader also said the party won't use parliamentary tactics to block the vote.

Reid has told Democratic colleagues that he won't insist they follow his lead on Roberts, lawmakers said.

``I will make my own decision,'' said California Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Other Democrats, including Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both of Arkansas, and Colorado's Ken Salazar, said they haven't made up their minds.

Reid said he was ``disturbed'' about memos Roberts wrote as a young attorney in the Reagan administration that questioned some remedies for racial and gender discrimination.

``These memos lead one to question whether he truly appreciated the history of the civil rights struggle,'' Reid said. Roberts used a ``disingenuous strategy by suggesting that the views in the memos'' were his bosses in the administration.

Kennedy Opposes Roberts

Also today, Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said he will vote against Roberts, saying the nominee was ``on the wrong side of history'' for opposing civil rights legislation.

``This is really a leap of faith, isn't it?'' Kennedy said. ``There are those that took the leap in terms of the war, there are those who took the leap in terms of taxes and now they are being invited to take the leap again in terms of Judge Roberts, and I don't think I am going to be among them.''

Arlen Specter, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, endorsed Roberts yesterday. The Pennsylvania Republican said Roberts was ``well qualified'' and answered as many of the committee's questions as he could without giving his views on cases that may come before the court.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 20, 2005 15:06 EDT