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 the Court was unsubtle and unmistakable,” said lawyer Joshua Matz of Kaplan Hecker & Fink. “And the high-stakes ruling on abortion eclipsed the conservative justices’ painful betrayal of the religious freedom principles they claim to value so deeply.” The case concerned Domineque Ray, a Muslim inmate who had been convicted for his part in the 1995 rape and murder of a teenage girl, Tiffany Harville, in Selma, Alabama. ET, the court lifted that stay, clearing the way for the execution “because Ray waited until January 28th, 2019 to seek relief, we grant the state’s application to vacate the stay,” the majority said.

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History of this topic

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 …

From moderate to manipulator: Behind the unmasking of Chief Justice John Roberts
3 months, 2 weeks ago

From moderate to manipulator: Behind the unmasking of Chief Justice John Roberts

Raw Story  

WASHINGTON — John Roberts may have a robe. New illustrious, behind-the-scenes reporting from the New York Times reveals Roberts personally directed the court’s three historic Jan. 6, 2021 rulings, including the one granting presidents sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for their “official acts.” Democrats are now redoubling their efforts to make the high court a centerpiece of this year’s elections …

John Roberts’ MAGA conversion: How Donald Trump remade the Supreme Court in his image
3 months, 3 weeks ago

John Roberts’ MAGA conversion: How Donald Trump remade the Supreme Court in his image

Salon  

Since he was appointed Supreme Court chief justice by George W. Bush in 2005, John Roberts has been something of an enigma. As to his legal philosophy, a review of his record by the left-leaning nonprofit Take Back the Court Action Fund suggests that “Roberts has been one of the most conservative justices since joining the Supreme Court in 2005.” …

We Helped John Roberts Construct His Image as a Centrist. We Were So Wrong.
55 years ago

We Helped John Roberts Construct His Image as a Centrist. We Were So Wrong.

Slate  

On Sunday, New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak published a blockbuster article about the conservative justices’ efforts to shield Donald Trump from any consequences for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. More to the point, their piece—about how the three Jan. 6 cases decided last year in favor of Donald J. Trump came …

Supreme Court leak amplifies concerns about politics infiltrating decisions
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Supreme Court leak amplifies concerns about politics infiltrating decisions

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 Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has often fostered the …

Huge Supreme Court docs leak exposes chief justice meddling in Trump's January 6 and election cases - read his memos
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Huge Supreme Court docs leak exposes chief justice meddling in Trump's January 6 and election cases - read his memos

Daily Mail  

Chief Justice John Roberts strong-armed his fellow Supreme Court judges into allowing him the key role in cases involving Donald Trump, leaked memos reveal. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts with Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor The court's decision on presidential immunity was a hammer blow to judicial attempts at prosecuting Donald Trump over his role in the January 6 attack …

Chief Justice John Roberts says it would be "inadvisable" to meet with senators about Alito
7 months, 1 week ago

Chief Justice John Roberts says it would be "inadvisable" to meet with senators about Alito

Salon  

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is politely refusing to meet with Democratic senators regarding his colleague Samuel Alito's ethical issues, writing in a letter Thursday that to so would raise concerns about the separation of powers and itself create an appearance of impropriety. "I must respectfully decline your request for a meeting," Roberts wrote to Sen. Dick Durbin, …

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 …

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 …

Chief Justice John Roberts defends legitimacy of court
2 years, 3 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts defends legitimacy of court

Associated Press  

DENVER — Chief Justice John Roberts defended the authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, saying its role should not be called into question just because people disagree with its decisions. When asked to reflect on the last year at the court in his first public appearance since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Roberts said …

Chief Justice John Roberts defends the Supreme Court — as people's confidence wavers
2 years, 4 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts defends the Supreme Court — as people's confidence wavers

NPR  

Chief Justice John Roberts defends the Supreme Court — as people's confidence wavers Enlarge this image toggle caption Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP DENVER — Chief Justice John Roberts defended the authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, saying its role should not be called into question just because …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.” …

Supreme Court liberals, with Roberts, strike down Louisiana abortion law
4 years, 6 months ago

Supreme Court liberals, with Roberts, strike down Louisiana abortion law

LA Times  

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joined the Supreme Court’s liberal justices to deal a surprising setback to abortion opponents on Monday, striking down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law and reaffirming the court’s past rulings that have upheld a woman’s right to choose. A statement from the White House press secretary called the decision “unfortunate,” adding that “unelected justices have …

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, …

Beginning Of The End For Roe? Supreme Court Weighs Louisiana Abortion Law
4 years, 10 months ago

Beginning Of The End For Roe? Supreme Court Weighs Louisiana Abortion Law

NPR  

Beginning Of The End For Roe? Supreme Court Weighs Louisiana Abortion Law Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP Abortion rights are on the chopping block Wednesday as the Supreme Court hears arguments in a case nearly identical to one decided just four years ago. The judge further found that the barriers to abortion doctors getting …

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 …

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 Played This Supreme Court Term Perfectly
5 years, 6 months ago

John Roberts Played This Supreme Court Term Perfectly

Slate  

When Justice Anthony Kennedy retired a year ago, it was obvious that Chief Justice John Roberts—nobody’s median anything—would become the court’s center of gravity, while remaining its center of gravitas. If there could be a one-sentence summary of his majority opinion in the term’s census case—in which the chief joined the court’s liberals to refuse to allow Donald Trump’s commerce …

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman
5 years, 6 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman

NPR  

Chief Justice John Roberts Becomes Supreme Court's Swingman In two major 5-to-4 Supreme Court decisions Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the conservatives in one, and then for the liberals in another. NOEL KING, HOST: Chief Justice John Roberts is now the Supreme Court's swing man. But as NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports, it was the liberal …

Chief Justice John Roberts is about to show his cards
5 years, 6 months ago

Chief Justice John Roberts is about to show his cards

CNN  

Washington CNN — With a deadline for nearly 30 cases looming and weighty issues of religion, gerrymandering and the 2020 census pending, Chief Justice John Roberts took his black leather chair at the bench this week and said three decisions were ready to be announced. This is the first time in Roberts’ 14 years as chief justice that he will …

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 …

Supreme Court blocks restrictive Louisiana abortion law by 5-4 vote as Roberts joins liberals
5 years, 11 months ago

Supreme Court blocks restrictive Louisiana abortion law by 5-4 vote as Roberts joins liberals

LA Times  

The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a Louisiana abortion regulation that was expected to close all but one or two of the abortion clinics in the state. The justices acted on an emergency appeal filed by abortion rights advocates who accused the conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans of upholding a regulatory law in Louisiana …

Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion law from taking effect Monday
5 years, 11 months ago

Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion law from taking effect Monday

CNN  

Washington CNN — Justice Samuel Alito late Friday temporarily blocked a Louisiana abortion law from going into effect as scheduled on Monday. In 2017, Judge John deGravelles, of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, an Obama appointee, struck down the law, saying it would severely limit the number of providers available to perform abortions, result in …

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