Pence Goes Hard After Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, Says He Considers Him A "Disappointment' To Conservatives
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a supposed conservative, has been an undeniable disappointment to conservatives since President Donald Trump was elected.
It is as if he believes he has an obligation to side with Democrats more because Justice Anthony Kennedy is no longer the swing vote on the court.
Assuredly this is not a position a liberal judge would take if they had the majority, and now Vice President Mike Pence let him have it, CNN reported.
“Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives,” the vice president said during an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody.
“I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are a reminder of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Pence was referring to cases is which Justice Roberts sided with liberals regarding the Affordable Care Act and church service limitations in Nevada.
The vice president also pointed to the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down a controversial Louisiana abortion law that critics said would have closed nearly every clinic in the state. Roberts delivered a fifth vote to the liberals — the first time the chief justice had voted against an abortion restriction.
Pence on Wednesday said it was a “wakeup call” for anti-abortion voters, “who understand in a very real sense the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020.”
In this past Supreme Court term, Roberts also sided with an opinion that extended anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ workers and upheld the program allowing undocumented immigrants who came into the US as children to remain.
In June, after the two defeats, President Donald Trump said he would release a new list of conservatives he would consider nominating to the Supreme Court — a tactic he used in 2016 to rally Republicans.
Roberts has been hammered by conservatives in recent months, calling on him to resign and run for office if he wanted to be a politician.
“Chief Justice Roberts has been playing games with the court to achieve the policy outcomes he desires,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas said on the Senate floor.
“If Justice Roberts wants to be a politician, he should resign and run for office,” Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, said in a tweet.
It is more important than ever to reelect President Trump and keep the Republican Senate majority so another potential justice can be nominated.
