- Chief Justice John Roberts voted for liberals on the Supreme Court in a key case of the term.
- But the conservative judge hasn’t softened his political stance, a SCOTUS researcher told an insider.
- Roberts seems more concerned with the court’s legacy than advancing conservative issues.
This term, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts sided with a liberal Supreme Court justice in a key case involving voting rights and state legislative powers in federal elections, a move analysts said of the move.shocking” and “amazing‘ and served as a conservative judge for many years.
Hardline conservatives have frustrated the chief in recent years because of his views on the side of liberal justices on the Supreme Court. Some critics point to Roberts, who was appointed in 2005 by George W. Bush to replace staunch conservative William Rehnquist. turn coat He was credited with voting in a 5-4 decision in favor of Obamacare and then in favor of government regulators.
Some have speculated that Roberts’ views have become more liberal with age, but last year he voted in favor of weakening laws ensuring access to abortion, and this year he voted for conservatives. I decided to side with them to cancel affirmative action and student loan relief and withdraw protections against defiance. LGBTQ+ Discrimination.
Even though Roberts voted on major conservative issues, his reputation, especially among Republicans, has evolved from hero to traitor.
“There are a few different ways of thinking about what happened,” Justin Crow, a political science professor at Williams University who studies the Supreme Court, told Insider. “Does it mean that other justices are more conservative and that Mr. Roberts currently appears moderate in comparison? Is it that Mr. Roberts’ views have actually changed and moderated over time? Or is it that Mr. Roberts is a little more concerned about things like the institutional legitimacy of the trial, went to court and approached things in a more moderate way?
Crow added, “I don’t see much evidence that Roberts has become more liberal over time, and some judges have, but I don’t think Roberts has much to offer. I think the other two explanations are more important,” he added. myself. “
Roberts’ gradual approach to statutory interpretation may appear far less conservative than the absolutist prison-taking approaches of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, Crow noted. But at the same time, the secretary did not suddenly become a symbol of liberalism. Instead, Mr. Crow said Mr. Roberts is focusing on what is more important than any singular case.
“Part of what we’re seeing is that Roberts is consciously trying to be a little more moderate, or to make the courtroom look a little less aggressive, a little less activist, a little more progressive. I think we’re trying to do that,” Crow told Insider. “Roberts’ name will be put on this in Roberts Court. And decades from now, when these people are retired and dead, and people read about them in the history books, Roberts’ name will be He’s been stuck in court since 2005 until he left office, but I think the legacy issue carries a lot of weight.”
Mr. Roberts wholeheartedly defends the Supreme Court as an institution, despite mounting criticism of its ethical concerns and partisanship, and does not view criticism of the Court’s decision as questioning its legitimacy. was a “mistake” last year. Washington Post report.
But Roberts’ voting record has changed slightly in recent times, he said. New York Times. The Times reported that chief justices voted less for the conservative majority this quarter and voted 14% more for liberal Justice Elena Kagan than last quarter.
“Mr. Roberts kind of pulled the reins in a way, just slowing things down, and the idea that the law shouldn’t be read unilaterally by conservatives, but it shouldn’t be read unilaterally by liberals. I think we were looking for an opportunity to keep it,” Crow told Insider. “And I think Mr. Roberts is probably more interested in that kind of perspective because he’s the central chairman of the court and his name is on it and that’s his legacy. is.”