There’s apparently little that the Trump administration is unwilling to try and sweep up into their relentless political self-dealing. In a new interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Vice President Mike Pence complained about Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court, who he insisted has been “a disappointment to conservatives.” The key point that Pence seems to miss is that justices of the Supreme Court are supposed to be impartial arbiters of the law! While of course, certain justices have ideological tendencies — some more than others — the “point” of the Supreme Court is to decide on delicate legal matters, not to uphold conservative principles or whatever self-serving nonsense that Pence thinks of next.
Pence told interviewer David Brody, who asked about Roberts specifically:
‘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, whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions all the way through Calvary Chapel. It’s a reminder, and 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. We remember the issue back in 2016, which I believe loomed large in voters’ decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who would become president of the United States.’
Watch his comments below:
EXCLUSIVE: Vice President Mike Pence calls out Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts by name. He says, "Chief Justice Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives." Watch from my interview with @VP in Florida today. Full report on @700club Thursday + clips on @CBNNews pic.twitter.com/z6IANVONr5
— David Brody (@DavidBrodyCBN) August 6, 2020
The Calvary Chapel case is a case in Nevada in which a church tried to get an exemption from state restrictions on public gatherings that have been imposed in an attempt to stem the spread of the Coronavirus. Roberts sided with the four liberal-leaning justices on the court in that case when it reached their level. Roberts also sided with the liberal-leaning justices on the court when faced with a recent case of a Louisiana anti-abortion law that insisted that any abortion provider must have admitting privileges at local hospitals. The Supreme Court had struck down a very similar law out of Texas in recent years; both laws unduly infringed upon the right to access an abortion, the court ruled.
Roberts was also among the recent justices who ruled that the president does not have absolute immunity to a subpoena from New York prosecutors just because he’s the president. He was also among those who ruled to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which protects certain groups of undocumented immigrants.
After the DACA ruling, Trump tweeted:
‘These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!.. Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?’
These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
First of all — the Second Amendment is not remotely in jeopardy, period. It’s just not. Secondly — the Supreme Court is not there to do the president’s bidding! It’s not an arm of the White House — period.
