Chief Justice John Roberts is often described as a key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court. Roberts is a conservative George W. Bush appointee, but he isn't a far-right ideologue like Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett. And he has, at times, sided with the High Court's three Democrat-appointed justices — including on the bombshell Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade after 49 years.
In an article published on Tuesday, Above the Law's Joe Patrice offers a scathing critique of Robert's year-end report, which, Patrice argues, shows a "disdain for the American people."
"While the federal judiciary in 2023 found itself beset by ethical scandals from top to bottom, jurists abandoning any sense of professionalism and decorum, a forum shopping crisis spawned by the lack of reform to the nationwide injunction procedure, and a criminal defendant openly attacking the judicial process and inspiring violent threats against federal judges," Patrice writes, "John Roberts addressed none of these."
Roberts, in the report, commented, "As 2023 draws to a close with breathless predictions about the future of Artificial Intelligence, some may wonder whether judges are about to become obsolete."
Patrice's response: "Are you … kidding me? There may be serious concerns about whether judges are about to become obsolete, but that has less to do with AI than administrations flooding the courts with non-qualified judges and the highest court in the land being stocked with hacks who use their public duty to collect luxury vacations.
“Apparently, Roberts saw the report this year as an opportunity to tickle the clickbait impulses of legal reporters eager to spill a few hundred words speculating about AI rather than focusing on the Chief's silence on the most pressing issues undermining the legitimacy of the third branch."
At a time when the High Court's reputation has suffered tremendously, Patrice said the chief justice's end-of-2023 report was painfully short on substance.
"If AI had a sense of shame," the legal expert writes, "ChatGPT would be embarrassed by this level of superficiality. If Roberts had a sense of shame, he should be too."
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Read Joe Patrice's full Above the Law article at this link.