Justice Roberts: SCOTUS Not Political  05/07 06:05

   

   HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) -- Supreme Court justices are not "political actors," 
Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday, insisting unpopular court decisions 
are based solely on the law.

   "I think, at a very basic level, people think we're making policy decisions, 
we're saying we think this is how things should be, as opposed to what the law 
provides," he said. "I think they view us as purely political actors, which I 
don't think is an accurate understanding of what we do."

   His remarks to a conference of judges and lawyers from the 3rd U.S. Circuit 
in Pennsylvania came at a time of low public confidence in the court, and about 
a week after the court handed down a decision that hollowed out the Voting 
Rights Act.

   The high court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in 
Louisiana, finding it was an unconstitutional gerrymander based on race. The 
decision weakened the Civil Rights era law that has increased minority 
representation in Congress, and it opened the door for more redistricting 
across the country that could aid Republican efforts to control the House.

   In recent years, the conservative majority court has also handed down 
landmark rulings overturning the constitutional right to abortion, expanding 
gun rights and ending affirmative action in higher education.

   Roberts didn't reference any specific decisions in his remarks, but said the 
court is "simply not part of the political process."

   Opinions, he said, are based on the Constitution -- though he acknowledged 
disagreement with some outcomes. "One thing we have to do is make decisions 
that are unpopular," he said.

   Criticism, he said, should focus on rulings rather than personal attacks. He 
condemned the targeting of lower-court judges, a sentiment he's repeated amid 
rising threats to the judiciary. "That's not appropriate and it can lead to 
very serious problems," he said.

   High-profile criticism of judges in personal terms has come from Republican 
President Donald Trump, who also targeted Roberts and other justices who voted 
against him in the opinion that struck down tariffs the president levied under 
an emergency-powers law.