Hundreds of abortion-rights advocates, including mayoral candidate C. Virginia Fields and several state and city officials, gathered in 90-degree heat yesterday to protest Judge John Roberts Jr.’s Supreme Court nomination and its potential ramifications for the future of reproductive rights.

“Roberts has said that if he had a chance to overturn Roe v. Wade, he would do it,” Ms. Fields said. “If we lose ground on Roe v. Wade, we could lose ground on so many other civil rights and civil liberties that we have worked so hard for and gone to jail for.”

Several of the speakers warned the crowd not to believe that Judge Roberts had merely been doing his job as deputy solicitor general when he argued in 1990 that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. “This was no first-year associate being assigned his first case,” Assemblyman Jonathan Bing said. “He’s a lawyer, and lawyers choose their cases.”

Several organizations supporting abortion rights, including the rally’s cosponsors the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood, wasted no time responding to Judge Roberts’s nomination yesterday evening by organizing the rally. Mary Alice Carr of NARAL said, however, that if Judge Roberts clearly states that he will not overturn Roe v. Wade, her organization will happily drop its opposition.

Mike Long, chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, said he had expected the pro-choice activists, and especially Senator Schumer, to protest any of President Bush’s nominees.

“These extremists wouldn’t be happy unless it was Ted Kennedy being nominated,” Mr. Long said. “It’s the job of the president to pick an impeccable person with a great background. He’s done that. They’re clamoring because they’re afraid this person doesn’t agree with their thinking.”

Kiera McCaffrey of the Catholic League said that the abortion-rights advocates will do anything to pack the courts with like-minded people. “It’s very interesting that for 200 years the abortion issue was out there, and then all of a sudden it becomes settled law and pro-abortion activists think anyone who has a different view on abortion has no place in courts,” Ms. McCaffrey said. “That kind of thought is really un-American.”

[Mayor Bloomberg didn’t say whether he supports Mr. Bush’s nomination, adding that he “doesn’t know enough” about Judge Roberts’s view on abortion to form a definite opinion, according to the Associated Press.]