I’ve looked askance at several of Chief Justice John Roberts’s activities in the past — first, and most notably, his decision that ObamaCare was actually a “tax” and not an un-Constitutional prescriptive power grab over the lives of U.S. citizens — and since then, several of his votes on Supreme Court decisions have made me furrow my brow. Here’s one example:
The Supreme Court on Friday let the Trump administration temporarily suspend $65 million in teacher-training grants that the government contends would promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, an early victory for the administration in front of the justices.
The decision was 5 to 4, with five of the court’s conservatives — Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Brett M. Kavanaugh — in the majority. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. voted with the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.
Some commentators have asked the question: “Does someone have something on Judge Roberts?” as an answer to these of his decisions — what we used to call the “sex photos with a dead animal or child” kind of blackmail.
In fact, the answer is a lot simpler, and far less salacious.
Investigative journalist Bad Kitty Unleashed reported on Thursday that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is involved in an invite-only club for elite judges in Washington, DC.
The elitist club America Inns of Court also includes the radical America-hating judges James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Amit Mehta—all hard-left judges and Trump-haters.
Go ahead and read the whole thing. It will explain exactly why Roberts has voted the way he has.
I don’t know what the solution is — there’s that “freedom of association” thing in the Constitution — but what it basically means is that the nominally-conservative Chief Justice is in thrall to the hard Left judiciary in this country, and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot we can do about it.
I think I’d have preferred the photos.
Clubby membership notwithstanding, I still think the main reason we are not yet seeing (may never see) the Epstein island frequent flyer list is because he is on it.
@Terrapod said it. Embrace the word ‘and’. Just because he’s a member of a club which can influence him, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have something hanging over him to insure his cooperation. I’ve read in other blogs that you cannot join the swamp unless you have been compromised, and lack of a compromise giving them a hold is why the swamp hates and opposes President Trump.
The Inns of Court is not some secret legal society. It is an organization that is supposed to promote professional development and collegiality in the profession. It probably really exists to provide an excuse for lawyers get together, try to show off and then, sometimes, have a drink or three afterwards.
I much more inclined to give credence to conspiracy theorists now than I was before the covidiocy, but this conspiracy doesn’t exist.
Yes, exactly.
He is just not as conservative as Thomas and Alito, that is most of it. A major secondary factor is that he cares a lot about how the court is perceived, and in the end that is not a bad thing.
Caring about how the court is perceived isn’t, necessarily, a bad thing. However! Roberts’ actions on the court have significantly degraded the perception of the court, so either he’s an idiot, or he only cares about the Left’s perception of the court. Or both.
He cares about the general perception. That should be obvious and is to a degree necessary.
If that is true, then why aren’t Alito or the other conservative judges also members? Remember, it’s “by invitation only”. So why weren’t the others invited? Seems like this is a “liberals only” club.
I was invited to join about 20 years ago, and I’m so conservative that I have an 88 Mauser instead of one of those new fangled 98s. The judge that invited me to join was also a legitimate conservative.
I declined the invitation because I wanted to do other things with my time. I doubt ACB was ever involved because of her academic background and living in South Bend but plenty of conservative judges are.
The CJ is certainly squishy at times but not because of his involvement with Inns of Court.
Alito is a member. He gave a fireside chat at this meeting, for example:
https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/conference/2017Agenda.pdf
That’s Third CCA judicial conference, which is not Inns of Court. All federal judges are members of the judicial conference of their Circuit. Lawyer admission depends on the Circuit. For example, I’m a life member of the Sixth CCA Judicial Conference, but not of the Ninth although I practice in both.
This. I work in litigation. It’s absolutely normal for a top tier litigator. Conservatives losing their shit over this is as bad as liberals losing their shit over a lawyer being in the Federalist Society.
Okay, I’m persuaded.
Ignore the post.
But is so much fun to poke the weasels with pikes at every opportunity. Retraction not needed, time will (eventually, if we are still alive) surface the truth.
Perhaps it’s a good time for him to retire.
Thomas would fill the office, either temporarily or permanently.
In fact, these next few years are an ideal time for any of the Justices to retire and have their successors nominated and approved.
Except that none of the Lefties will retire…
No, but the older conservatives could and be replaced with younger conservatives, hopefully keeping the current balance for decades to come.
I thought the dirt on a Supreme Court Justice was questionable procedure followed for the adoption of his kids.
I don’t care about the reason, I care that these folks don’t write good opinions and shouldn’t be anywhere near a courtroom other than at the defense table as a suspect being prosecuted.