What’s behind Roberts’ stinging rebuke of Trump (opinion)
4 years, 6 months ago

What’s behind Roberts’ stinging rebuke of Trump (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Elie Honig is a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor. Watch Honig answer readers’ questions on “CNN Newsroom with Ana Cabrera” at 5:40 p.m. CNN — With Thursday’s decisions rejecting President Donald Trump’s absolutist legal claim that he stands above the law, Chief Justice John Roberts put the finishing touch on a remarkable Supreme Court term defined by his transformation into a powerful voice of judicial independence – or, at least, unpredictability. Heading into the current term, Roberts, a Republican nominee and longtime conservative, stood as the potential swing vote, given his occasional tendency to defy expectations and join the court’s liberal justices – notably casting key votes to uphold the Affordable Care Act in 2012 and again in 2015. Indeed, Roberts, in 2018, issued a rare public statement rebuking Trump’s criticism of the judiciary and reaffirming that “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges … That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.” This much is certain: Roberts became chief justice long before the Trump administration came to power, and he will likely hold that position well after Trump departs, whether in 2021 or 2025. But the Supreme Court – in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice Roberts joining the four more conservative justices – stepped in and put the district court’s ruling on hold, effectively leaving Alabama’s restrictions on absentee ballots in place while the case works its way through the courts on appeal.

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History of this topic

'Ridiculous': Analysis debunks John Roberts’ claim that SCOTUS has no 'political bias'
1 week ago

'Ridiculous': Analysis debunks John Roberts’ claim that SCOTUS has no 'political bias'

Raw Story  

On the last day of 2024, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued his "2024 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary." The Supreme Court's chief justice, John Roberts, is now echoing Trump's demand that people stop criticizing him, his colleagues, and other federal jurists — while continuing to pretend that judges are not political." Perez continued, "In his annual …

Chief Justice Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat in several ways
1 week, 2 days ago

Chief Justice Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat in several ways

LA Times  

The Supreme Court’s chief justice wrote that even if court decisions are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration, other branches of government must be willing to enforce them. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a defense Tuesday of judicial independence, which he said is under threat from intimidation, disinformation and the prospect of public officials defying …

Chief Justice John Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat in several ways
Trending News
1 week, 2 days ago

Chief Justice John Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat in several ways

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts issued a defense Tuesday of judicial independence, which he said is under threat from intimidation, disinformation and the prospect of public officials defying court orders. Roberts, for his part, introduced his letter by recounting a story about King George III stripping colonial judges of lifetime appointments, an order that was “not well received.” Trump …

Analysis: John Roberts leads the charge to uphold bans on trans care
1 month ago

Analysis: John Roberts leads the charge to uphold bans on trans care

CNN  

CNN — As Chief Justice John Roberts set the tone for what appears to be a Supreme Court majority to uphold state bans on gender-affirming care, his remarks Wednesday recalled his attitude nearly 10 years ago when the court declared a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. Roberts brushed aside arguments that Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care amounted to sex discrimination …

The Supreme Court Is Handling the Election Differently Than in 2020. Uh-Oh.
3 months, 2 weeks ago

The Supreme Court Is Handling the Election Differently Than in 2020. Uh-Oh.

Slate  

In blockbuster reporting last week, the New York Times revealed behind-the-scenes conference details about how the Supreme Court’s conservative majority constructed the three major decisions last term that, taken together, ensured former President Donald J. Trump would face no criminal accountability for the Jan. 6 insurrection before this November’s election. On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick was joined by …

Big wins for Trump and sharp blows to regulations mark momentous Supreme Court term
6 months, 1 week ago

Big wins for Trump and sharp blows to regulations mark momentous Supreme Court term

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and the conservative interests that helped him reshape the Supreme Court got most of what they wanted this term, from substantial help for Trump’s political and legal prospects to sharp blows against the administrative state they revile. on present exigencies.” The court also overturned the Chevron decision, stripped the SEC of a major fraud-fighting tool and …

John Roberts isn’t happy with previous ruling against Trump – what happens now?
8 months, 2 weeks ago

John Roberts isn’t happy with previous ruling against Trump – what happens now?

CNN  

CNN — During nearly three hours of historic Supreme Court arguments, John Roberts said little. The tenor of the arguments differed strikingly from the sentiment of lower court judges who’d previously heard Trump’s claim, as Roberts and the right wing concentrated on a former president’s potential exposure to retaliation by political opponents. “As I read it, it says simply a …

Lawyers for Trump urge the Supreme Court ‘to put a swift and decisive end’ to ballot removal efforts
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Lawyers for Trump urge the Supreme Court ‘to put a swift and decisive end’ to ballot removal efforts

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Thursday urged the Supreme Court “to put a swift and decisive end” to efforts to kick him off the 2024 presidential ballot over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. In a written filing, Trump’s lawyers called on the court to reverse a first-of-its-kind Colorado Supreme Court decision that said …

John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh Are Rigging the Supreme Court Docket
1 year, 1 month ago

John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh Are Rigging the Supreme Court Docket

Slate  

This is part of Opening Arguments, Slate’s coverage of the start of the latest Supreme Court term. Last June, Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh shocked observers by joining the court’s three liberal justices to reject an Alabama congressional map aimed at diluting Black voters’ power. On the other hand, focusing on the decision obscures a disturbing reality: …

GOP Chaos: SCOTUS was the only working branch of government this week.
1 year, 3 months ago

GOP Chaos: SCOTUS was the only working branch of government this week.

Slate  

If you’re inclined to believe that the chief benefit of American democracy lies in its pure entertainment power, then this past week has been good to you. The fight for the soul of the Republican Party, whether it plays out in the House or in the GOP primary, reveals how truly sick and broken the load-bearing pillars of our politics …

Alabama Republicans dare the Supreme Court to uphold voting rights ruling.
1 year, 5 months ago

Alabama Republicans dare the Supreme Court to uphold voting rights ruling.

Slate  

Alabama Republicans took a major step toward openly defying the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, advancing a new congressional map that fails to comply with the court’s landmark Voting Rights Act decision in June. Like Louisiana Republicans, who are currently pursuing a similar tactic over a similar racial gerrymander, Alabama legislators think the Supreme Court may walk back its newfound …

Opinion: The Supreme Court's just-ended term contained some surprising gifts for Democrats
1 year, 6 months ago

Opinion: The Supreme Court's just-ended term contained some surprising gifts for Democrats

LA Times  

The lopsided far-right majority in the Supreme Court produced some advantages for Democrats in the coming 2024 elections. More shocking still: One of those decisions, the court’s Allen vs. Milligan ruling early last month, actually gives Democrats a leg up in recapturing control of the House in the 2024 elections. By its 5-4 decision in Allen, with Chief Justice John …

John Roberts Has Wrested Back Control of the Supreme Court
1 year, 6 months ago

John Roberts Has Wrested Back Control of the Supreme Court

Slate  

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. So it was with Moore v. Harper, Roberts’ 6–3 decision on Tuesday rejecting the “independent state legislature” theory devised to subvert voting rights. That’s unsurprising, Roberts noted, since legislatures are “mere creatures of the state constitutions, and cannot be greater than their creators.” …

Justice John Roberts went against his 40-year record to deliver win for voter rights: report
1 year, 6 months ago

Justice John Roberts went against his 40-year record to deliver win for voter rights: report

Raw Story  

Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly surprised everyone and went against his own personal mission when he authored a ruling finding that Alabama likely violated the Voting Rights Act's prohibition on racial gerrymandering by packing most of the state's Black voters into a single congressional district. The ruling, which was joined by all three liberal members of the court along with …

Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act — and might have helped doom Republicans in 2024
1 year, 7 months ago

Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act — and might have helped doom Republicans in 2024

Raw Story  

The Supreme Court stunned political observers on Thursday in the closely watched Allen v. Milligan case, ruling that Alabama likely violated the Voting Rights Act's prohibition on racial gerrymandering when it drew a map that packs most of the state's Black voters into a single congressional district — and the decision could make it harder for Republicans to hold the …

Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act in surprise ruling against Alabama Republicans
1 year, 7 months ago

Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act in surprise ruling against Alabama Republicans

LA Times  

Supreme Court justices have ruled 5 to 4 that Alabama’s Republican-controlled Legislature must draw a new election district that would be likely to favor a Black Democrat. The Supreme Court upheld the broad reach of the Voting Rights Act on Thursday, ruling that Alabama’s Republican lawmakers are required to draw a new election district that would likely elect a Black …

Chief Justice Roberts says Supreme Court can do more on ethics, but offers no specifics
1 year, 7 months ago

Chief Justice Roberts says Supreme Court can do more on ethics, but offers no specifics

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts said there is more the Supreme Court can do to “adhere to the highest standards” of ethical conduct, an acknowledgment that recent reporting about the justices’ ethical missteps is having an effect on public perception of the court. Speaking at a law dinner Tuesday where he was honored with an award, Roberts provided no …

How John Roberts may slow-walk American democracy right off the cliff
2 years ago

How John Roberts may slow-walk American democracy right off the cliff

Salon  

It's never an issue for this U.S. Supreme Court to move the goalposts, change the rules or simply make up them as it goes along. North Carolina's state supreme court, equally determined, struck that rigged map down this year as a violation of the state constitution's guarantee that all elections must be free and fair. The court ruled that maps …

Chief Justice John Roberts tried to protect Roe but failed to persuade Supreme Court colleagues, report claims
2 years, 5 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts tried to protect Roe but failed to persuade Supreme Court colleagues, report claims

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Chief Justice John Roberts worked in secret to try to …

Chief Justice John Roberts lost the Supreme Court and the defining case of his generation
2 years, 6 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts lost the Supreme Court and the defining case of his generation

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts has long piloted America’s highest court, securing majorities on controversies over religion, race, voting rights and campaign finance regulation. In doing so, they wrote, “this Court betrays its guiding principles.” They said they felt sorrow for the court itself although more “for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental …

The US Senate’s path to a Supreme Court hostile to Roe v Wade
2 years, 7 months ago

The US Senate’s path to a Supreme Court hostile to Roe v Wade

Al Jazeera  

How Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans gamed the system to give Trump three Supreme Court picks. The US Constitution empowers the US president to nominate a person to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, and that the Senate provides “Advice and Consent” to confirm the nominee. “The next justice could fundamentally alter the direction of the Supreme Court and have a …

John Roberts calls Supreme Court leak ‘absolutely appalling’
2 years, 8 months ago

John Roberts calls Supreme Court leak ‘absolutely appalling’

CNN  

Atlanta CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts said Thursday that the leak of a draft opinion that would strike down Roe v. Wade is “absolutely appalling” and stressed that he hopes “one bad apple” would not change “people’s perception” of the nation’s highest court and workforce. In his first public appearance since the leak on Monday, Roberts also said that …

What John Roberts’ role in Texas’ abortion case could signal for the future of Roe
3 years ago

What John Roberts’ role in Texas’ abortion case could signal for the future of Roe

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a razor-sharp opinion Friday emphasizing that Texas’ abortion law defies Supreme Court precedent and should expose the many state officials who play a key role in the “scheme” to federal lawsuit. 8,” Roberts wrote, referring to the Texas ban on abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, “has been to nullify this Court’s …

Supreme Court’s liberals face a new era of conservative dominance
4 years, 1 month ago

Supreme Court’s liberals face a new era of conservative dominance

CNN  

CNN — Progressives led by President-elect Joe Biden will soon take over the White House, but at the Supreme Court, liberalism has reached a historically low ebb. Last week, she penned a blunt dissent as the majority rejected New York’s Covid-19 restrictions on churches and synagogues, concluding: “Justices of this Court play a deadly game in second guessing the expert …

John Roberts sides with the liberals on mail-in voting but things may change once Barrett arrives
4 years, 2 months ago

John Roberts sides with the liberals on mail-in voting but things may change once Barrett arrives

CNN  

CNN — As another high-stakes confrontation between Democrats and Republicans went down to the wire, Chief Justice John Roberts again crept left and sided with the liberals. Roberts’ vote on Monday night, in a ballot dispute in the battleground state of Pennsylvania critical to President Donald Trump’s reelection bid, led to a 4-4 Supreme Court deadlock. That left in place …

Facing A Conservative Turn, Supreme Court Opens New Term
4 years, 3 months ago

Facing A Conservative Turn, Supreme Court Opens New Term

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court opens a new term with Republicans on the cusp of realizing a dream 50 years in the making, a solid conservative majority that might roll back abortion rights, expand gun rights and shrink the power of government. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Ginsburg’s seat, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, could be on the …

Supreme Court prepares to start a new term with only eight
4 years, 3 months ago

Supreme Court prepares to start a new term with only eight

CNN  

CNN — A very different Supreme Court will meet in two weeks to grapple with the potential of 4-4 splits and a caseload that includes no less than the future of the Affordable Care Act and possiblythe presidential election. The court’s order – most certainly delayed due to Ginsburg’s tragic death – could reveal where Roberts might be headed in …

News Analysis: Justice Ginsburg’s successor could push the Supreme Court to end abortion rights and Obamacare
4 years, 3 months ago

News Analysis: Justice Ginsburg’s successor could push the Supreme Court to end abortion rights and Obamacare

LA Times  

The death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg could allow legal conservatives to take full control of the Supreme Court for a decade or more, imposing a historic shift to the right with vast implications for U.S. jurisprudence and society at large. A conservative court could use its majority to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which guarantees a woman’s right to …

Roberts a pivotal vote in the Supreme Court’s big opinions
4 years, 6 months ago

Roberts a pivotal vote in the Supreme Court’s big opinions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The biggest cases of the Supreme Court term so far have a surprising common thread. Since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018, Roberts has played a pivotal role in determining how far the court will go in cases where the court’s four liberals and four conservatives are closely divided. Here’s a look at where Roberts stood …

Split high court throws out Louisiana abortion clinic limit
4 years, 6 months ago

Split high court throws out Louisiana abortion clinic limit

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. Chief Justice John Roberts and his four more liberal colleagues ruled that a law that requires doctors who perform abortions must …

Abortion foes vent disappointment after Supreme Court ruling
4 years, 6 months ago

Abortion foes vent disappointment after Supreme Court ruling

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Abortion opponents vented their disappointment and fury on Monday after the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision to strike down a Louisiana law that would have curbed abortion access. Vice President Mike Pence summed up that argument, tweeting that the Supreme Court’s decision made one thing clear: “We need more Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.” …

John Roberts defies Trump and conservatives with another legacy decision
4 years, 6 months ago

John Roberts defies Trump and conservatives with another legacy decision

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts saved Obamacare in 2012 – a move forever earning him the wrath of many Republicans – and on Thursday he preserved an Obama-era program that protects young immigrants who came to the US without proper papers, a direct rebuke to President Donald Trump. “If the Chief Justice believes his political judgment is so exquisite, …

John Roberts’ unwavering, limited view of voting access seen in Wisconsin ruling
4 years, 9 months ago

John Roberts’ unwavering, limited view of voting access seen in Wisconsin ruling

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision refusing to extend a deadline for absentee ballots in Tuesday’s Wisconsin elections reflects Chief Justice John Roberts’ cramped view of voting rights in America, a long-held position that has often favored Republican interests. The pattern, joined by Roberts’ fellow conservatives, was epitomized by a 2013 decision that restricted a crucial part of …

Roberts chides Schumer for ‘dangerous’ remarks on 2 justices
4 years, 10 months ago

Roberts chides Schumer for ‘dangerous’ remarks on 2 justices

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Çhief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday criticized as “inappropriate” and “dangerous” comments that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made outside the Supreme Court earlier in the day about Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. In a statement, Schumer spokesman Justin Goodman criticized Roberts, saying that “to follow the right wing’s deliberate misinterpretation of what Sen. Schumer said” shows …

Supreme Court divided in 1st big abortion case of Trump era
4 years, 10 months ago

Supreme Court divided in 1st big abortion case of Trump era

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. When the justices temporarily blocked the Louisiana law from taking effect a year ago, Roberts joined the court’s four liberal justices to put it on hold. The court in the Texas …

John Roberts lays groundwork for Supreme Court to limit abortion
4 years, 10 months ago

John Roberts lays groundwork for Supreme Court to limit abortion

CNN  

Washington CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court’s pivotal vote, asked just three questions during an incendiary Louisiana abortion rights case on Wednesday, guarding his actual views of whether the tough regulation was constitutional. tHis interest in asserting the justices’ independence was on display in a statement from Roberts that the Court’s Public Information Office issued late Wednesday, …

Roberts will tap his inner umpire in impeachment trial
5 years ago

Roberts will tap his inner umpire in impeachment trial

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — America’s last prolonged look at Chief Justice John Roberts came 14 years ago, when he told senators during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing that judges should be like baseball umpires, impartially calling balls and strikes. His hair grayer, the 64-year-old Roberts will return to the public eye as he makes the short trip from the Supreme Court to …

John Roberts is the Supreme Court’s key vote
5 years, 6 months ago

John Roberts is the Supreme Court’s key vote

CNN  

CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts’ announcement last week forbidding – at least for now – a citizenship question on the 2020 census echoed his surprise affirmation of the Affordable Care Act in 2012. Roberts said judges must broadly defer to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s proposal for the census and his determination “that reinstating a citizenship question was worth the …

Roberts’ Supreme Court defies easy political labels
5 years, 6 months ago

Roberts’ Supreme Court defies easy political labels

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Just hours after Chief Justice John Roberts handed Republicans a huge victory that protects even the most extreme partisan electoral districts from federal court challenge, critics blasted him as worthy of being impeached, a politician who should run for office and a traitor. Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeted that “Roberts should quit and run for office.” The …

John Roberts has voted for restrictions on abortion. Will he overturn Roe v. Wade?
5 years, 7 months ago

John Roberts has voted for restrictions on abortion. Will he overturn Roe v. Wade?

CNN  

Washington CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts will not vote to strike down Roe v. Wade and outright ban abortion. RELATED: Where John Roberts is unlikely to compromise Roberts’ public message Soon after the tumultuous Senate confirmation of Kavanaugh last October, Roberts pointedly differentiated the role of justices from that of elected officials. In 1990-1991 Supreme Court litigation over abortion …

What to make of Chief Justice John Roberts?
5 years, 10 months ago

What to make of Chief Justice John Roberts?

CNN  

Washington CNN — Chief Justice John Roberts has broken with his conservative brethren and joined liberal justices several times in recent weeks, in cases from abortion, to asylum policy to the death penalty. Without Roberts’ recent votes with liberals, for example, the justices would have retrenched on their abortion rights precedent and separately endorsed refugee restrictions that a leading conservative …

Chief Justice John Roberts sides with liberals in death penalty case
5 years, 10 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts sides with liberals in death penalty case

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Supreme Court sent a case concerning a death row inmate, who claims he can no longer remember his crimes because of several strokes he had while in prison, back down to the lower courts to take a second look. In a 5-3 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts sided Wednesday with the liberals on the court in …

Chief Justice John Roberts takes charge
5 years, 11 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts takes charge

CNN  

Washington CNN — It was a late night for the nine justices Supreme Court justices Thursday, who were roused from their normal February recess to vote on emergency petitions that again exposed how deeply they are divided on certain social issues and emphasized the power held by Chief Justice John Roberts. “The impression of Chief Justice Roberts taking control of …

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