For Chief Justice John Roberts, the arrival of a new Supreme Court justice is "to some extent .... unsettling."
Justice Roberts, a relative newcomer himself, with just four years on the court, weighs in on changes at the court -- in this case David Souter's departure and Sonia Sotomayor's appointment -- and what it means to the social and collegial fabric of the institution in the upcoming C-SPAN series "The Supreme Court: Home to America's Highest Court".
Said Roberts, in an excerpt from the series:
To some extent, it's unsettling. You quickly get to view the court as ... composed of these members, and it becomes kind of hard to think of it as involving anyone else. I suspect it's like people look at their families.
The series is set to air Oct. 4, and features original interviews with nine of the living and current Supreme Court Justices, according to C-SPAN.
A promotional clip for the series includes interviews with Justices Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Both Roberts and Thomas compare the court to something like a family.
As "unsettling" as the recent changes to the court may be to Roberts, he and the sitting justices might do well to brace for even more change. There is speculation that Justice John Paul Stevens may be planning to retire.
The Washington Post has more about the justices' comments.
Watch the clip: