Chief justice unsettled by Obama's criticism of Supreme Court

[cory777]

Source: LA Times

By David G. Savage
March 10, 2010

Reporting from Washington - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told law students Tuesday that he found it "very troubling" to be surrounded by loudly cheering critics at President Obama's State of the Union address, saying it was reason enough for the justices not to attend the annual speech to Congress.

"To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we are there," Roberts said at the University of Alabama School of Law.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-roberts-speech10-2010mar10,0,4550858.story

---

Maybe they should be in jail instead?

[Democat]

1. Roberts doesn't want to answer to anyone except his masters!

He doesn't care what's good for America or about the lies he told during his confirmation - he will do exactly what the Republican party tells him to do (or bribes him to do) and he doesn't finds it "very troubling" when anyone calls him on his corruption.

That crook belongs in prison, not in the Supreme Court.

[saigon68]

9. Got his job massaging the organ of his Masters

[No Elephants]

2. Impeach this turd for partiality and dishonesty.

You're there to represent the third branch of the U.S. government,dumbass. THe SOTU is the Executive Branch reporting to the Legislative and Judicial branches and the rest of the nation about the state of the nation.

And for tradition. The SCOTUS has placed tradition above the Establishment Clause. It held that religion does not belong in dourthouses--BUT it is fine for Supreme Court sessions to begin with "God bless this honorable court" because that is tradiion, not religion.

:eyes:

People cheering the President is "very troubling?" Why? Would he have been equally troubled if they were cheering a Republican President? Even one of the worst Presidents in American history?

The reasons Chief Justice Turd found this so troubling are (1) The President scolded the court during the SOTU, and (2) the President is a Democrat.

The rest is bullshit.

Roberts is being dishonest, just like he was during his confirmation hearings, when he did all he coud to give the impression that he was not going to decrease reproductive choice because of "settled precedent." He is also being biased.

We cannot have a dishonest, partial SCOTUS bench. Impeach this turd for partiality and dishonesty.

While you're at it, impeach torture memo Bybee.

The POTUS got impeached for lying about a blow job he never should have been asked about under oath to begin with; and Democrats let stuff like Bybee getting a judgeship for writing a memo that covered Bushco's collective ass and a CJ of the SCOTUS who was deceptive to Congress under oath and is blatantly partisan?

This is why Democrats have a reputation for weakness, not bc they are weak on national defense. Roosevelt frickin' jumped int WWII over protests from Republicans; Truman fought two wars, ffs. For better or worse, Kennedy and Johnson escalated our involvement in Vietnam. Democrats are maybe too trigger happy about national defense. It's stuff at home they are weak about.

[DCBob]

3. Good... that was Obama's intention.

Roberts is a partisan and should have never been confirmed.

[bulloney]

4. Roberts is unhappy? GOOD!! You declared war on the little guy with that crap of a ruling.

I hope Obama's SOTU speech is the least of your discomfort.

Fascist corporate enabling justices.

[Sancho]

5. If he is too stupid to realize when he is wrong, he should not be a judge...

Roberts is a good example of someone whose politics override objective judgement, and he should be ashamed. You could see how sensitive his wife was to criticism during the confirmation. Now he claims to be "troubled"! They are lying for show, or else simply stupid if they are "troubled".

:wtf:

[L. Coyote]

16. Propping up the Bush Junta is not an easy job!

But, if the Bush Junta is not legitimized, Robert's decisions are not either.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Yeah John, well many find it "very troubling" that a far right wacko idealogue

like you was confirmed in the first place...

[Vattel]

7. I despise Roberts, but I agree with him

that Obama's remarks were inappropriate.

[tabbycat31]

19. you do realize that it was not the first time a POTUS has criticized a SC decision

think of all the Republican presidents that have mentioned Roe v. Wade

[defendandprotect]

29. What about FDR . . . ???

What about the right's attempt to impeach Earl Warren . . . ??

I don't see any problems with Obama speaking out on this -- anywhere --

the problems come when we have blatantly right wing extremists deciding

issues and no one comments on them ---

like 2000, for instance!!

[Blandocyte]

8. Whoa! It's almost like there are separate branches of government

and they might not all have the same opinion! Deal with it, jerk.

[hack89]

15. He should deal with it by avoiding overt political settings like the SOTU speech. nt

[24601]

17. So should the Joint Chiefs stay away also? After all, if the President

is making a political speech rather than as their non-partisan Commander in Chief, what are the Joint Chiefs doing there?

[hack89]

22. The President is the CinC - they work for him

as part of the executive branch. I suspect they can't say no.

Roberts is a member of the Judiciary - he has a degree of independence the Joint Chiefs don't have.

[24601]

25. But the military is prohibited by the Hatch Act from supporting

partisan political events. It's one thing to support the CinC in a non-partisan event, like a national security speech on a base. Very different to show at what was characterized as...I believe your words were an "overtly political setting." I would instead argue that SOTU is a constitutional requirement that has been inappropriately turned into a media event. Better that it be turned back into just sending a text over to Congress.

[hack89]

26. The Hatch Act does not apply to the military

only to civilian employees of the DoD.

http://www.osc.gov/hatchact.htm

The spirit of the Hatch Act is, however, captured by DoD regulations.

You are right about the SOTU - it has morphed into something that George Washington would be appalled at.

[NYC Liberal]

10. Obama doesn't need to remain independent. Roberts does.

Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable for Obama, as a former Constitutional Law professor, to give an informed critique of a bad Supreme Court decision -- particularly in a relevant setting as the State of the Union.

Roberts should be staying above the partisan fray but now he is choosing to go around attacking Obama. Perhaps he should simply not go if he does not like it.

[fasttense]

11. Yeah, and four Supreme Court Justices also criticized Roberts'

ruling. So what is he going to do about the very troubling critics on his own court? Off to Gitmo?

[Demeter]

12. Maybe Roberts Will Be Upset Enough to "Retire"

Does he expect a horse's head in his bed?

[24601]

18. Or maybe he'll be pissed enough to overturn the next landmark

legislation as completely unconstitutional.

[HughMoran]

13. I agree - we should put Roberts, Scalia (& his sidekick) & Scalito in jail

They are anti-American plotters against our democracy and shouldn't be on a playground court.

[SlingBlade]

14. " he found it very troubling". ! I wonder how he would find an

indictment for lying to Congress about his not being a political hack on the S.C ?
And what is it with all of these Right Wingers spewing their poison at some of this
nations largest Law schools. Yoo the War Criminal, Starr the inquisitor on and on it goes.

Preparing future little re-pukes and war criminals AND in plain sight
They ALWAYS come back !

" saying it was reason enough for the justices not to attend the annual speech to Congress "
Remember the C.J during the last Clinton speech to Congress ? Hypocrites

But another case of spineless democrats representing THEIR best interest.
If noting else, Bunnning proved that, How many Dems pulled that shit over Iraq and so
many other things during Bush's puke parade ?

K&R

[fascisthunter]

20. what an Embarrassment... what's troubling is that we have Fascists

in the Supreme Court deciding what our rights are and aren't.

[defendandprotect]

30. And we haven't even united to try to impeach them....what more damage will we permit???

[Zorra]

21. Roberts is a more dangerous enemy to our country than all terrorist groups combined.

He's a conscienceless fascist corparasite puppet that is legislating from the bench in order to destroy the liberty and democracy of the American people.

Hopefully, something will happen that will force him from his position.

[Vidar]

23. Feel free to die, Asshole!

[hunter]

24. Roberts is starting to get a Dick Cheney pallor about him.

Our Chief Justice is probably a flesh eating zomby already. Don't let him bite you.

[tabasco]

27. These crooks should not be able to go in public

without scorn and ridicule.

[defendandprotect]

28. Guess Roberts doesn't notice he's one of the Gang of 5 extremists---???

Or is he chafing at the fact that he got called out on an extremist decision?

Rightly so!!!