[JURIST] In the third day of his Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday, US Chief Justice nominee John Roberts [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] said that Congress has the right to counter decisions made by the Supreme Court, including the controversial ruling earlier this year in Kelo v. New London [PDF opinion], which allows local governments to expropriate land for private redevelopment [JURIST report]. Roberts commented on proposed legislation that would ban federal funds for projects commencing as a result of the Kelo decision, and stated: "[t]his body and legislative bodies in the states are protectors of the people's rights . . . It's not simply a question of legislating to address particular needs, but you obviously have to also be cognizant of the people's rights and you can protect them in situations where the court has determined, as it did 5-4 in Kelo, that they are not going to draw that line." Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), who previously told Roberts to be ready for Congressional authority questions [JURIST report], also expressed his disdain at the way legislators can be "treated as schoolchildren'' through criticism from some justices. Roberts replied that the Supreme Court was not the "taskmaster" of Congress, but rather that the Constitution should guide the actions of both bodies. AP has more.