John Roberts Sides With Liberal Justices, Says Churches Cannot Defy COVID-19 Lockdown
Chief Justice John Roberts has ticked off quite a few conservatives over the years. His latest move on churches and coronavirus isn’t going to help sway those people back in his corner.
From USA Today:
WASHINGTON – A deeply divided Supreme Court refused Friday night to allow churches in California and Illinois to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic with more worshippers than state plans permit.
Advertisement - story continues belowChief Justice John Roberts, who cast the deciding vote in the more consequential California case announced just before midnight, said choosing when to lift restrictions during a pandemic is the business of elected officials, not unelected judges. He was joined in the vote by the court’s four liberal justices.
Continued:
Roberts, the only one of the five to explain his vote, compared in-person church services to other forms of assembly. His conservative colleagues who dissented compared the services to secular businesses.
Back in January, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked a question that was so blatantly out of line that it forced Roberts to stare daggers at the failed 2020 Democrat presidential nominee.
Roberts was not thrilled in the slightest and it isn’t hard to see why.
See for yourself, via Daily Wire:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was stared down on Thursday by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after she asked an absurd partisan question that attacked Roberts’ character.
WATCH:
John Roberts was NOT happy with @EWarren's nasty question about whether the legitimacy of SCOTUS (and Roberts himself) would be sullied if there are no witnesses in the Senate trial pic.twitter.com/60fbiME3Db
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2020
Reactions:
As @pkcapitol notes, the seeming attack on Roberts came a day ahead of a potential tie vote where Dems have been courting Roberts to intervene. Pelosi very solicitous today; D sens uniformly respectful.
— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) January 30, 2020
[ring ring]
W: Elena!
K: What have done?
W: What do you mean?
K: He was gonna vote to release Trump’s taxes.
W: So?
K: “So?”
W: That Q was FTW!
K: I *had* him. You pushed him away.
W: Whatevever. I’m gonna pack the court. Make you de facto Chief!
K: We wish.[click]
— Mike Sacks (@MikeSacksEsq) January 30, 2020
I agree with this. The question reflects badly on Warren. The exchange, however, reflects well on Schiff—as well as on Roberts. https://t.co/whvFp76ren
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) January 30, 2020
Video: Major yikes for @EWarren on @CNN just now as panel led by Erin Burnett universally condemned her nasty question about the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts being sullied if the impeachment trial ends without witnesses pic.twitter.com/Noj9QnOQ4I
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 31, 2020