Wahoo, Joyce! You are one gutsy woman - or as we say here in the Pacific Northwest, a sturdy woman. You demonstrate the perception, bluntness, and moral courage that is missing in the Roberts report. You set a high bar for him that he is unable or unwilling to meet. Sad for him, a tragedy for the country.
You said it very well Laurie. My wish is that Joyce (and probably several of her Resistence sisters) would write a letter to Roberts citing his year-end report and castigating it as woefully short, indecisive, pablum for the masses.
I am sad for Justice Sotomayor who time and time again has to waste her time chastising these craven colleagues who can't hold a candle to her brilliance instead of being able to take part in a creative restorative judicial process.
To clarify, I don't mean I feel sorry for him; I meant that it's sad when someone, especially someone with as many choices as Roberts has had in his life, caves to living without integrity and principle.
Yup, we are expected to respect this court, to bow down to the six extremes--the courtiers of the Trump monarchy--with the requisite decorum as they and despot Don treat us as nothing more than undeserving serfs.
" Reading the report, you wouldn’t know that the judiciary has been, quite frankly, under attack by this president. He writes as though he bears no responsibility for handing over unprecedented power to the president, to say nothing of the delay and ultimate grant of immunity from criminal prosecution that facilitated Trump’s return to office. Roberts acknowledges none of that. "
Blind hypocrisy.
I guess they think that they are somehow excepted from Trump's corrupt demands and illegal actions.
I hope the next administration can reform the Supreme Court, now that we know how quickly it can rot from within.
Equally to blame is the US Congress, more specifically the GOP minions, who sit in fear and dread about becoming a target of their own president with his threats of primarying them. My sense is if they would do their job of governing
Let's not forget MITCH , who in my opinion was responsible for the beginnings of the demise of SCOTUS by blocking Obama's chance to appointment a justice to SCOTUS.
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The Harvard Magazine article does cover the complexities and apparent contradictions of both Roberts, ever the staunch conservative and institutionalist, and his voting record on the Court. It also lays out how Roberts completely failed to meet the moment, failed (or refused) to anticipate how key rulings would enable and protect a rogue president, and, paradoxically, ended up creating outcomes opposite to what he said he wanted to accomplish.
Roberts's recent report would seem to run to type, again showing him to be blithe about or even willfully blind to how badly he and his Court have failed in their key, core responsibilities and abetted profound damage to our way of government.
On another point, I don't know the details of James Wilson but am guessing he was probably trying to evade his _creditors_, not his debtors.
The Harvard article is a good article and scary at the same time. Roberts needs to get his act and stand up for the law and constitution to uphold our democracy.
More: Roberts has been a Republican apparatchik, starting with the time with Rehnquist trying to suppress votes to Bush v. Gore. His loyalty is to the Republican party, no matter what noxious person runs it, instead of the USA. To expect anything different is senseless.
Bill, yes he was, particularly anything to do with "affirmative action." He is a racist, misogynist and should never have been on our SC. Either the wrong questions were asked at his hearing or people ignored what he really was because he looked like a judge. It would be nice if we could get Pope Leo to try to get Roberts to live his faith, good Catholic as Roberts pretends to be.
PRogWoman, I don't remember that, but it seems like exactly what Bush would have been pushed to do. Bush, too was a pawn of the Heritage Foundation and other conservative members of their klan to undermine our democracy for the benefit of theirs and other white men's wealth
Robbie, yep, a racist, misogynist fool and we have him indefinitely on our SC. Our Johnny Roberts seems to be proud of his "ability to deceive a lot of folks with his twisted arguments to defend his anti-American pronouncements. Disgusting!
I have no empathy whatsoever for the position Roberts finds himself in as he created this largely on his own. To issue a vapid report at the end of this year of horrific assaults on our Constitution and democracy is quite frankly insulting. This then is his legacy. He has earned the lack of respect he has fomented.
Roberts, in his annual statement, has shown us the mind of a privileged man in a position of power. He confuses independence with freedom from accountability. He confuses his own peace of mind with morality. He is corrupt.
Thank you for this post. I wasn't going to bother reading Roberts's message, because I no longer have any confidence in him or his court. You did it for me and parsed it as well. SCOTUS reform can't come soon enough.
Do you really expect to give a smug racist asshole his lead and expect him to slow down in his descent to making us serfs and handmaidens? There is no more founding documents. Roberts is separating us into powerful and powerless and is 100% on the side.of the powerful. What a waste of a human existence.
kasperhauser, I found it interesting how Roberts referred to early justices, citing Wilson for trying to get past his debt, but that does not make him a bad person, and from what I have read, Wilson was considered a fair judge, something Roberts can never aspire to be.
There are great moments in SCOTUS's history that defended and protected judicial, civil and human rights, championed by men and women who served in the land's highest court. Chief Justice Roberts is surely not among them and quite the contrary. When too many public servants ignore or misconstrue their oaths of office, our republic is threatened, now more than ever.
Under this Court and its leader, Roberts, the Constitution isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. The Founding Fathers were flawed individuals but Roberts has the advantage of time and experience over them. Too bad he is squandering it all in service to The Heritage Foundation.
Linda, sadly he is the Chief Justice of our highest court, shields himself with the law and holds himself above the fray, but ultimately he is still a died in the wool Conservative. That's why the Heritage Foundation and Bush Jr. chose him. IMO he really hasn't staked his claim as the leader of the court and it shows. He's appears as a bit of a "pushover" to the whims of other more seemingly powerful Conservatives. Wish he showed more leadership qualities. The Court is floundering.
Roberts is perfectly content to take us all to his originalist hellscape. Propertied white men are fine, no matter how corrupt. The rest of us are merely uppity hired help.
Oh, Joyce, how I admire your eloquence, civility and grace. But sometimes, you just gotta call a skunk a skunk. My apologies to the skunk kingdom, but Roberts wreaks with the stench of hypocrisy and I call bullshit on his State of the Judiciary Report. You can't crown a despot King with immunity for crimes, say F-U to all people of color by gutting voting rights, strip women of autonomy over their personhood by killing Roe v. Wade, believe judicial ethics are merely a "suggestion" for SCOTUS, and then invoke the ideals of the founding fathers as if you ascribe to them. Well, I guess you can - but it stinks.
Thank you Joyce. A consummate, well deserved takedown of a Chief Justice whose name will forever be reviled. It will be decades to unravel his legacy.
We need to establish a Code of Ethics & hold Justices accountable. We need to expand SCOTUS to 13 Justices, one for each US district. (And we need to impeach & convict Trump after the mid-terms.)
As I learn more about John Roberts, it is clear he pulled the wool over a lot of folks' eyes when he was at his hearing for the position he now holds. He had no trouble lying about precedents and now, is just fine being buddies with the man who brought all his personal hates and resentments into the presidency. Reading more, I learned that he is a staunch racist, but clothed that in claims that "affirmative action" is unconstitutional, for no particular reason, so, racism is it. John Roberts is also a misogynist. His anti-affirmative action stance is also against women and his permitting Alito to use anti-woman ancients as his excuse for stomping on Roe v. Wade was inexcusable. His destruction of the Voting Rights Act was also just plain wrong because Congress had just reaffirmed the VRA unanimously in 2006. In short, I can think of not one thing that would let anyone believe that our Johnny Roberts cares about this nation, I guess, figuring he has a job for life and a great pension for afterwards if there is an afterwards, so he cares nothing for the results of his decisions and they are often his decisions. There should have been no need for discussion about Trump's releasing the military and National Guard into our cities because it was wrong from the start, so he now wants to be seen as a hero for going with the only sensible justices on the court Kagan, Jackson, and Sotomayor to stop those military actions. He isn't a hero because we have no way to guarantee that he will do the right thing for the American people if it conflicts with his personal biases: white, male, rich, corporate, pseudo-christian. I heard he looks like what one would expect a judge to look like. Well, that just proves looks in this case are deceiving!
Catherine, but We the People know better. I think Roberts knows that and it gets under his skin. He won't do anything to improve, though because he just can't!
Wahoo, Joyce! You are one gutsy woman - or as we say here in the Pacific Northwest, a sturdy woman. You demonstrate the perception, bluntness, and moral courage that is missing in the Roberts report. You set a high bar for him that he is unable or unwilling to meet. Sad for him, a tragedy for the country.
You said it very well Laurie. My wish is that Joyce (and probably several of her Resistence sisters) would write a letter to Roberts citing his year-end report and castigating it as woefully short, indecisive, pablum for the masses.
"pablum" is exactly the right word, Wendy. That describes how I feel about NPR news a good chunk of the time.
I just sent this newsletter to the Court's public information office and asked them to send it to all 9 justices: pio@supremecourt.gov
Sorry, but all I got from your link was to send an email to that Office. Hope yours was a letter that will make a difference!
same with me?
And publish it in major media.
'Sad for him'?
Sad and bad for our country that a man of such low character and morales can hold such a high office that he disrespects on a regular basis.
I am sad for Justice Sotomayor who time and time again has to waste her time chastising these craven colleagues who can't hold a candle to her brilliance instead of being able to take part in a creative restorative judicial process.
yes she and Justice Kentanji Brown-Jackson.
They haven't said "boo" about their colleagues conflicts of interests!
Perhaps they do behind closed doors.
I imagine it must be a somewhat hostile work environment.
— I wd be ANGRY as hell if I had to confront those SOBs 5 days a wk. 💥
They have a duty to come forward if the have evidence.
To clarify, I don't mean I feel sorry for him; I meant that it's sad when someone, especially someone with as many choices as Roberts has had in his life, caves to living without integrity and principle.
Well said, my sturdy woman neighbor!
Feeling sturdy in WA State💪
Yea!
Yup.
Our northern neighbors!!
Ditto from WA State!
I like that phrase,” sturdy woman”!
💯
Amen!! Joyce needs to serve on the SCOTUS for all the reasons you just described.
No reason to have sympathy for the position Roberts is in. He made his bed.
Roberts is as complicit as one can be in facilitating a would be dictator and corruption.
I consider Roberts loathsome, lying, criminal scum! He should be impeached.
Yup, we are expected to respect this court, to bow down to the six extremes--the courtiers of the Trump monarchy--with the requisite decorum as they and despot Don treat us as nothing more than undeserving serfs.
" Reading the report, you wouldn’t know that the judiciary has been, quite frankly, under attack by this president. He writes as though he bears no responsibility for handing over unprecedented power to the president, to say nothing of the delay and ultimate grant of immunity from criminal prosecution that facilitated Trump’s return to office. Roberts acknowledges none of that. "
Blind hypocrisy.
I guess they think that they are somehow excepted from Trump's corrupt demands and illegal actions.
I hope the next administration can reform the Supreme Court, now that we know how quickly it can rot from within.
Equally to blame is the US Congress, more specifically the GOP minions, who sit in fear and dread about becoming a target of their own president with his threats of primarying them. My sense is if they would do their job of governing
the SCOTUS might follow suit!
Let's not forget MITCH , who in my opinion was responsible for the beginnings of the demise of SCOTUS by blocking Obama's chance to appointment a justice to SCOTUS.
So true!
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Thank you Linda. I reposted on my FB page.
Thank you Susie! ✌🏽
Yes Ma’am Linda!
With apologies for cross-posting, I'll mention that it's worth having a look at this article in Harvard Magazine: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/legal/supreme-court-chief-justice-john-roberts-trump-united-states.
The Harvard Magazine article does cover the complexities and apparent contradictions of both Roberts, ever the staunch conservative and institutionalist, and his voting record on the Court. It also lays out how Roberts completely failed to meet the moment, failed (or refused) to anticipate how key rulings would enable and protect a rogue president, and, paradoxically, ended up creating outcomes opposite to what he said he wanted to accomplish.
Roberts's recent report would seem to run to type, again showing him to be blithe about or even willfully blind to how badly he and his Court have failed in their key, core responsibilities and abetted profound damage to our way of government.
On another point, I don't know the details of James Wilson but am guessing he was probably trying to evade his _creditors_, not his debtors.
That was a good piece.
The Harvard article is a good article and scary at the same time. Roberts needs to get his act and stand up for the law and constitution to uphold our democracy.
Aarrghh !! 💥 Roberts telling the dissenting Justices that they’re more or less overreacting!
Then Trump, by his actions, proceeds to validate the 3 dissenters completely!
“Roberts, often described as an institutionalist, has enabled the most hostile anti-institutionalist ever elected president.”
I’ve saved the article for a time when I’m feeling less ‘combustible’. 💥 Thanks.
AMEN!
More: Roberts has been a Republican apparatchik, starting with the time with Rehnquist trying to suppress votes to Bush v. Gore. His loyalty is to the Republican party, no matter what noxious person runs it, instead of the USA. To expect anything different is senseless.
Lee, and along with his racism and misogyny, Roberts is not what anyone should want on any of our courts.
It appears that Obama's concerns were warranted
During the Reagan Administration, wasn’t he trying to undermine the Voting Rights Act and other Civil Rights laws?
Bill, yes he was, particularly anything to do with "affirmative action." He is a racist, misogynist and should never have been on our SC. Either the wrong questions were asked at his hearing or people ignored what he really was because he looked like a judge. It would be nice if we could get Pope Leo to try to get Roberts to live his faith, good Catholic as Roberts pretends to be.
Remember when George W. visited him to make sure he was in good physical shape and would live a long time?
PRogWoman, I don't remember that, but it seems like exactly what Bush would have been pushed to do. Bush, too was a pawn of the Heritage Foundation and other conservative members of their klan to undermine our democracy for the benefit of theirs and other white men's wealth
He hates the voting rights act. He’s been behind every diminution that the court has visited to the voting rights act
Robbie, yep, a racist, misogynist fool and we have him indefinitely on our SC. Our Johnny Roberts seems to be proud of his "ability to deceive a lot of folks with his twisted arguments to defend his anti-American pronouncements. Disgusting!
In Roberts’s gated community of white elite, even Trump is looking in & waving for attention.
I have no empathy whatsoever for the position Roberts finds himself in as he created this largely on his own. To issue a vapid report at the end of this year of horrific assaults on our Constitution and democracy is quite frankly insulting. This then is his legacy. He has earned the lack of respect he has fomented.
Roberts, in his annual statement, has shown us the mind of a privileged man in a position of power. He confuses independence with freedom from accountability. He confuses his own peace of mind with morality. He is corrupt.
Thank you for this post. I wasn't going to bother reading Roberts's message, because I no longer have any confidence in him or his court. You did it for me and parsed it as well. SCOTUS reform can't come soon enough.
Do you really expect to give a smug racist asshole his lead and expect him to slow down in his descent to making us serfs and handmaidens? There is no more founding documents. Roberts is separating us into powerful and powerless and is 100% on the side.of the powerful. What a waste of a human existence.
kasperhauser, I found it interesting how Roberts referred to early justices, citing Wilson for trying to get past his debt, but that does not make him a bad person, and from what I have read, Wilson was considered a fair judge, something Roberts can never aspire to be.
There are great moments in SCOTUS's history that defended and protected judicial, civil and human rights, championed by men and women who served in the land's highest court. Chief Justice Roberts is surely not among them and quite the contrary. When too many public servants ignore or misconstrue their oaths of office, our republic is threatened, now more than ever.
Under this Court and its leader, Roberts, the Constitution isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. The Founding Fathers were flawed individuals but Roberts has the advantage of time and experience over them. Too bad he is squandering it all in service to The Heritage Foundation.
Linda, sadly he is the Chief Justice of our highest court, shields himself with the law and holds himself above the fray, but ultimately he is still a died in the wool Conservative. That's why the Heritage Foundation and Bush Jr. chose him. IMO he really hasn't staked his claim as the leader of the court and it shows. He's appears as a bit of a "pushover" to the whims of other more seemingly powerful Conservatives. Wish he showed more leadership qualities. The Court is floundering.
Ee, except Roberts is no Conservative. He is a far-right radical with an agenda and is not bound by the Constitution.
Roberts is perfectly content to take us all to his originalist hellscape. Propertied white men are fine, no matter how corrupt. The rest of us are merely uppity hired help.
And in that hellscape African Americans are either slaves or part-human; women in the kitchen; Jews, Muslims and even Roman Catholics heathens.
Right on, my friend. 🙌
Oh, Joyce, how I admire your eloquence, civility and grace. But sometimes, you just gotta call a skunk a skunk. My apologies to the skunk kingdom, but Roberts wreaks with the stench of hypocrisy and I call bullshit on his State of the Judiciary Report. You can't crown a despot King with immunity for crimes, say F-U to all people of color by gutting voting rights, strip women of autonomy over their personhood by killing Roe v. Wade, believe judicial ethics are merely a "suggestion" for SCOTUS, and then invoke the ideals of the founding fathers as if you ascribe to them. Well, I guess you can - but it stinks.
🎯
Thank you Joyce. A consummate, well deserved takedown of a Chief Justice whose name will forever be reviled. It will be decades to unravel his legacy.
We need to establish a Code of Ethics & hold Justices accountable. We need to expand SCOTUS to 13 Justices, one for each US district. (And we need to impeach & convict Trump after the mid-terms.)
As I learn more about John Roberts, it is clear he pulled the wool over a lot of folks' eyes when he was at his hearing for the position he now holds. He had no trouble lying about precedents and now, is just fine being buddies with the man who brought all his personal hates and resentments into the presidency. Reading more, I learned that he is a staunch racist, but clothed that in claims that "affirmative action" is unconstitutional, for no particular reason, so, racism is it. John Roberts is also a misogynist. His anti-affirmative action stance is also against women and his permitting Alito to use anti-woman ancients as his excuse for stomping on Roe v. Wade was inexcusable. His destruction of the Voting Rights Act was also just plain wrong because Congress had just reaffirmed the VRA unanimously in 2006. In short, I can think of not one thing that would let anyone believe that our Johnny Roberts cares about this nation, I guess, figuring he has a job for life and a great pension for afterwards if there is an afterwards, so he cares nothing for the results of his decisions and they are often his decisions. There should have been no need for discussion about Trump's releasing the military and National Guard into our cities because it was wrong from the start, so he now wants to be seen as a hero for going with the only sensible justices on the court Kagan, Jackson, and Sotomayor to stop those military actions. He isn't a hero because we have no way to guarantee that he will do the right thing for the American people if it conflicts with his personal biases: white, male, rich, corporate, pseudo-christian. I heard he looks like what one would expect a judge to look like. Well, that just proves looks in this case are deceiving!
His comments were to be expected. He knows his court is a disgrace.
Worse, he takes pride in his mendacity. He thinks he's clever.
"Worse, he takes pride in his mendacity. He thinks he's clever."
Yes, the distinguishing characteristic of today's GOP.
I think Gorsuch is the worst offender in that regard.
Catherine, but We the People know better. I think Roberts knows that and it gets under his skin. He won't do anything to improve, though because he just can't!
Indeed he does. Exercising his power in such a way is disgraceful.
I agree!
Disgraceful, an absolute disgrace to the court …
He is full of it. Top three worst Chief Justices, ever.