Chief Justice John Roberts says Supreme Court 'not political' amid criticism over recent rulings

Chief Justice John Roberts defended the United States Supreme Court against criticism over some of its recent rulings, including a decision undermining the Voting Rights Act. Speaking at a conference for lawyers and judges in Hershey, Roberts said that he and his colleagues were not "political actors." 

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

"We're not simply part of the political process, and there's a reason for that, and I'm not sure people grasp that as much as is appropriate," the Chief Justice said. The Supreme Court, which has a  6-3 Conservative majority, has faced harsh criticism over its recent ruling in the Louisiana v. Callais case. The decision struck down a Louisiana congressional map, undoing a lower court's effort to boost minority representation in the region. The decision redefined how the judiciary views racial gerrymandering, shifting from protecting minority voting groups to a stricter colorblind approach. 

SCOTUS' rulings have not always favored the President Donald Trump-led Republican administration. This week, the Supreme Court temporarily restored nationwide access to the abortion pill, Mifepristone, a decision welcomed by Democrats. However, that has not stopped Democrats from reacting to the Chief Justice's recent comments. "I guess it's just an amazing coincidence that basically every decision related to politics helps Republicans, and every decision related to regulation helps fossil fuel polluters," Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote in a post on X.

While Roberts welcomed people's criticism, he warned against making those criticisms personal. "I think considered criticism is a very good thing," he said, as per Politico. "On the other hand….there is a point where it changes from criticism of the opinion to criticism of the judge, and it can lead to some very serious problems...As soon as you personalize, it can become problematic."

"There's a lot of hostility that's publicized about judicial decisions and which judge wrote those decisions. I think we have to be a little more careful and make sure people, to the extent you can, are more careful about that," the United States Chief Justice said.