Roberts Defends Supreme Court Against Partisanship Accusations

Chief Justice John Roberts defended the Supreme Court against accusations of partisanship, saying the public often wrongly views the justices as “political actors.”

“At a very basic level, people think we’re making policy decisions,” Roberts said Wednesday while speaking at the Third Circuit judicial conference in Hershey, Pa.

“We’re not simply part of the political process, and there’s a reason for that, and I’m not sure that people grasp that as much as is appropriate,” Roberts said.

The remarks come as the court faces heightened scrutiny, particularly over its handling of emergency appeals from the Trump administration.

Criticism of the court’s conservative majority intensified this week after the justices agreed to fast-track their judgment striking down Louisiana’s congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Current and former justices have also responded publicly to claims of political bias. Retired Justice Stephen Breyer said at Harvard Law School last month that he did not believe any member of the court was there to “carry out some political agenda.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett echoed that message Monday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, saying the court’s role is to uphold the rule of law, not play politics.

“I would encourage you to see the court as an institution that’s separate from the political branches. That does a different kind of work,” Barrett said. “And it’s not to say that the court is perfect or that it always gets it right, but it’s a different kind of thing that’s not just about raw politics.”