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Speaking to reporters this week, Vice President Mike Pence noted that he felt as though Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives. During an interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Pence expounded on how he felt about Roberts’ recent court decisions.
“Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States,” the Vice President stated. “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.”
The Vice President’s frustration is understandable: despite conservatives holding a majority on the Court, recent decisions have swung in favor of liberals. As Pence stated, recent decisions by Roberts upheld the Affordable Care Act and left caps on church attendance during the pandemic in place. Moreover, Roberts was the deciding vote on issues of LGTB worker’s rights and protected the DACA program.
These moves saw Roberts on the left, siding with justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonya Sotomayor. Conservatives, who have fought tooth and nail to secure a Supreme Court majority, have been frustrated that one of their own has been siding with liberals.
A glance at Roberts’ voting record shows that he’s clearly no liberal. His vote was critical in keeping US forces in the Middle East during George Bush’s Administration. Likewise, on matters of faith, Roberts is almost always on the conservative side of the argument. However, in recent months, the Chief Justice has been a tiebreaker in favor of liberals more often.
This has sparked alarm among Congressional Republicans. Many in Congress are now making the appointment of yet another conservative justice a top priority. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for her own part, is now 87 and is battling cancer for the fifth time. The likelihood that she withdraws from the court soon is increasing day by day. This has led to Mitch McConnell reiterating that he would move to confirm a justice if an opening were to occur before the end of Trump’s first term.
While this has incensed some Democrats, who cite McConnell’s own refusal to do the same in 2015, it’s an understandable tactic. After all, control of the Senate comes with its own benefits. If Democrats were to seize power, they’d likely do the same thing. Or, if they wouldn’t, they’d be throwing away a key advantage.
