In 2004, when John Roberts was confirmed to the Supreme Court, he promised he would act with judicial constraint.
Twenty years later, there are questions whether the Chief Justice is bending a knee to the Trump administration.
Jurists and court analysts say there is little doubt it has become one of the most activist courts in Supreme Court history.
Without hesitating, it has overturned long-standing precedents related to voting rights, abortion and more.
During his confirmation hearings, Roberts agreed to be an umpire and “call balls and strikes.” Legal analysts say he has gone well beyond that.
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Roberts’ two decades on the high court have been marked by a series of high-profile episodes.
Among the pivotal moments was the dramatic switch vote to preserve the Affordable Care Act. It was a stunning decision.
Viewed only through a judicial lens, his moves were not consistent, and his legal arguments were not entirely coherent. But he brought people and their different interests together.
Then there was his time presiding over the televised impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. It was, according to court watchers, a political quagmire.
Perhaps the most central moment of Roberts’ legacy happened on July 1, 2024, when he declared the president immune from criminal prosecution.
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Roberts defended the decision, insisting substantial immunity would ensure the nation’s chief executive could operate “fearlessly and fairly,” free from “hesitancy and weakness.”
The dissenting justices said it would lead to dire consequences. There continues to be great debate over who was right.
With Roberts hitting the 20-year mark, it is ironic how relevant Trump vs. the US remains today and how many pivotal moments of Roberts’ tenure intersect with Trump.
However, to be fair, Trump and Roberts have had their fair share of clashes. But few question that Trump is using the immunity he was granted to remake America.
Michael Klarman, an American legal historian and constitutional law scholar at Harvard Law School, joined me for this week’s “Politics and Power.” We explore the question of whether the Supreme Court is becoming the Trump Court.
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