Roberts spent most of his speech outlining his conservative philosophy on the judiciary. "The framers did not contemplate that the judicial branch would change the Constitution with the prevailing tenor of the times," he said. It was that conservatism that led President Bush to nominate Roberts as chief justice two years ago.

Roberts invoked Ronald Reagan twice and Robert Bork once, then expressed admiration for Bork, a strong judicial conservative, during the question-and-answer session, pointing out that he was speaking on the 20th anniversary of the 58-42 vote in the U.S. Senate that rejected Reagan's nomination of Bork to the Supreme Court.

The chief justice also spoke at length about the intent of the framers of the Constitution and encouraged BYU students to read the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.

"The framers' great innovation, an independent judiciary with the final say on what the Constitution means in a manner that binds the government as well as the governed, has withstood the test of time," he said. "It is even being embraced by the mother country."

The Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 provided for a new Supreme Court of England and Wales, separate from Parliament.

"I'm sure that our founders would have been pleased to find out that the very ideals they fought Great Britain to secure are now being adopted in that country," Roberts said.

Roberts referred several times to a devotional talk given last month by BYU President Cecil Samuelson and his wife Sharon and the university's request that all incoming students this year read "The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution," by Linda Monk.

"As President Samuelson pointed out, the Constitution contains words we live by. He's quite right that for persons of faith, they are not the only words," Roberts said. "But for all Americans, the actual words of the Constitution are vitally important.

"I would therefore like to suggest you not only read about the Constitution, but that you read the Constitution itself. It is a short, but powerful document. It is the most enduring written constitution in history.

"In studying the history of the Constitution, I think you will come away with a profound respect for those who created our nation. With a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, they had mutually pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in the cause of independence. They then crafted the Constitution as the culmination of that pledge."

Roberts' speech will be rebroadcast by BYU Television on Sunday at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. It also will be available to watch online within a few days at byubroadcasting.org.

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com