Chief Justice John G. Roberts It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

The invitation to speak at the Ronald Reagan Library-extended by Nancy Reagan during a White House dinner last year-wasn't one that newly appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts could turn down.

Although Roberts said he didn't plan to speak in the first two years of being nominated to the Supreme Court, the chief justice took the stage Wednesday night at the Reagan Library in his first public address since his nomination last September.

In his often lighthearted speech before some 950 in attendance, which included Nancy Reagan, Roberts touched on his time with the Reagan administration, his views on Constitutional law, his first days as the chief justice and his family.

"The best efforts of the most gifted speaker would pale compared to the echoes of the speeches that reverberated in these halls," Roberts said, referring to the thousand of speeches made by Ronald Reagan during his eight years in office. Roberts-only 26 at the time- served in the Reagan administration as a special assistant to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith from 1981 to 1982. Roberts went on to serve as an associate counsel to the president under White House attorney Fred Fielding from 1982 to 1986.

Roberts told of his first day as an associate counsel in the White House when his fellow colleagues called his office, pretended to be the president and left him waiting on hold. After several minutes passed, Roberts said he soon realized it was a prank and joked that the other staff members had been taking bets on how long he would stay on the line.

After his nomination to the Supreme Court in July 2005 to replace retiring Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Roberts recalled how more than 60,000 pages of documents from his time working in the White House were pulled from the library's archives. They were documents used during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. To the library's archival staff, Roberts sarcastically quipped, "Thanks a lot," eliciting a roar of laughter from the audience.

Roberts went on to praise the staff's work in the "Herculean task" of amassing the needed documents, the contents of which became even more important when, two months later, former Chief Justice William Rehnquist died and Roberts was nominated to become the country's 17th chief justice.

Roberts said he, too, explored the library's archives while preparing for his speech, paying particular attention to Reagan's past speeches.

"When you look at those speeches, one consistent theme comes through," Roberts said. "It's that Reagan appreciated the extraordinary nature of ordinary people."

Roberts said Reagan espoused the importance of a strong Judicial Branch, especially the responsibility of the country's courts to hold both those in government and those being governed accountable to the same laws. Roberts further spoke to the importance of judicial review as it pertains to interpreting the Constitution.

"Our Constitution, unlike many constitutions, is not simply a political document, it is a legal document as well," Roberts said. "It constitutes the political order of our society, as all constitutions do; but it is enforceable in court before independent judges who have the power of judicial review. And in that respect, it is unlike most constitutions."

When asked to elaborate on his thoughts on the Constitution during a question-and-answer session after his speech, Roberts said, "The overriding obligation of a justice and a judge is to interpret the document according to the intent of its framers."

Roberts credited Reagan as a president who understood the challenges judges face daily.

"(Reagan) said . . . that being a judge sometimes requires the lonely courage of a patriot," Roberts said "And I think it showed his appreciation for what judges are supposed to do and have to do under our system."

Ending his speech, Roberts quoted from his letter of resignation from the White House staff written to President Reagan nearly 20 years earlier.

"You once wrote that 'law and freedom must be indivisible partners,'" Roberts wrote in the letter"As a lawyer, it was a source of great satisfaction to serve a president who appreciated the framers' vision of a limited federal government of laws, not men. . . . My years in your service will always be very special to me. The inspiration you have given me will burn brightly in my heart long after I have left the lights of the White House behind."

During the question-and-answer session, Roberts was asked about the difference between being a federal judge and a Supreme Court justice. Again, Roberts' response was both to the point and delivered with humor.

"In the Court of Appeals, we spent a great deal of time trying to figure out what the Supreme Court meant," Roberts said. "On the Supreme Court, we don't spend as much time worrying about it."

Roberts' response to a question about his 4-year-old son Jack's dancing during the president's nomination speech also was lighthearted.

"Having young children is great to keep things in perspective," Roberts said. "The first question Jack had for me when he found out I was going to be chief justice, he said, 'Daddy, do you get a sword?'" Roberts explained his son had seen the statue of Lady Justice outside the Court's chambers holding a sword, and the young boy wanted to know if Roberts also would get one. When Jack learned the sword didn't come with the position, Roberts said his son was unimpressed with his dad's new job. Roberts' speech was part of the Reagan Lecture Series, which brings high-ranking public officials to the library every year.