The common wisdom circulating about John Roberts's briefs for his clients is that the content of those briefs, against abortion rights and the environment among others, is driven by his clients. We are reminded that lawyers are bound to put their clients' best interests forth.
A lawyer friend of mine says that ethics require that a lawyer have some good faith commonality with his clients' interests. So while the briefs may not represent Roberts's beliefs in every detail, they indicate his views in general and are a legitimate basis for Senate questioning.
Of course, it's no surprise that someone nominated by President Bush would be a conservative. As in a marriage, however, we shouldn't commit to something in the hope that the other party will change.