Vice President Mike Pence is calling U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts a “disappointment to conservatives” in a TV interview with CBN News airing Thursday.
“We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives,” Pence told CBN’s David Brody, according to the network’s website.
“I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are reminders of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court,” the vice president added.
Roberts was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2005 by former President George W. Bush.
In 2012, Roberts voted to uphold ObamaCare and most recently, he voted to uphold restrictions on church gatherings in Nevada due to coronavirus. In another case, he agreed that abortion clinic doctors in Louisiana should have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
“That’s a very modest restriction on abortion providers,” Pence told Brody. “But a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable. I think it’s been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020.”
In many cases, Roberts has been the court’s swing vote, according to USA Today. In two major decisions, he voted to extend protections against workplace discrimination to LGBTQ employees and voted to block the Trump administration’s effort to rescind the DACA program, which allows young, undocumented people to legally live and to work in the U.S.
President Donald Trump called those decisions “horrible,” “politically charged” and “shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives."
Many political experts have speculated on future openings on the Supreme Court. Roberts is under 70, but Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, has faced frequent health issues. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer will be 82 in August. Clarence Thomas is 72, and Samuel Alito is 70.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
