Chuck Todd: John Roberts, America's chief swing voter?
The secret recordings of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts offer quite the contrast in how each sees his role on the Supreme Court.
It’s so rare these days for people in positions of power to put the country before themselves, so when it happens, we should ruminate on the moment.
The secret recordings of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, who spoke with a progressive activist posing as a religious conservative at a Supreme Court Historical Society event, offer quite the contrast in how each sees his role on the court. And while many are focused on Alito, not enough focus is being given to the chief justice’s comments.
As a refresher, here’s the exchange between Roberts and the woman who approached both justices, Lauren Windsor. (NBC News hasn’t been able to confirm what edits Windsor made to the recordings.)
Windsor: “You don’t think there’s a role for the court in guiding us toward a more moral path?”
Roberts: “No, I think the role for the court is deciding the cases. If I start — would you want me to be in charge of guiding us toward a more moral path? That’s for the people we elect. That’s not the lawyers.”
Rating: 5