July 20, 2005

Profile of and interview with Peter Spiegelman, who left Wall Street a millionaire after 19 years and returned to writing; Spiegelman, 47, says financial freedom allows him to enjoy writing crime novels, short stories and poems, which have met with some commercial success; photo (M)

News analysis of Judge John G Roberts, Pres Bush's nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on Supreme Court; finds Roberts deeply anchored in trajectory of modern constitutional law, not inclined to mission to change status quo; says question is whether Roberts would, like Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, seek to recapture distant constitutional paradise in which Court is faithful to 'original intent,' or whether he finds himself comfortably in middle, like O'Connor; his resume has no flame-throwing speeches or visible hard edges and, while he signed anti-abortion briefs as Justice Department lawyer, he has given no indication of his personal or judicial views on subject (M)

Man in the News profile of Judge John Glover Roberts, Pres Bush's nominee to Supreme Court; Roberts, 50, graduated from Harvard College in three years and went on to Harvard Law School and clerkship with then-Associate Justice William Rehnquist; he developed lucrative practice at Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson after Senate Democratic leadership balked at first Pres Bush's plan to put him on appeals court; he is described as cordial, wry and extremely smart but not inclined to take himself too seriously; he and wife Jane Marie Sullivan, lawyer as well, live with two young children in Chevy Chase and are described as devout Catholics; Roberts, who has been active in conservative Federalist Society, was born in Buffalo and grew up in Indiana, son of Bethlehem Steel executive; photos (M)

For the last few generations, central Harlem has been the home turf of City Council members who were among the powerhouses of black politics in New York, including Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and J. Raymond Jones, the master organizer known as the ''Harlem Fox.'' C. Virginia Fields, who in most polls is running second among Democratic mayoral candidates, held the seat during the 1990's. But as the district prepares to select a new council member this November, there is a chance that its representative will be white.

Two Sunni Arabs involved in drafting Iraq's constitution are assassinated on busy street in central Baghdad; bodyguard also killed; Mejbil al-Sheik Isa was among 15 Sunnis recently named to committee and Damin al-Obeidi was one of ten Sunni consultants; killings raise questions about efforts to draw in more Sunnis to make process more inclusive; Sunnis and Shiites alike condemn killings, as does UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan; photos of scene and of women's groups demonstrating against constitutional draft that would strengthen Islamic law regarding women and families; attacks come as Pres Jalal Talabani predicts constitution could be completed by end of month; more than dozen people are killed in other attacks (M)