John Roberts fails to note real problems on the court in 'troubling' year-end report: columnist

Chief justice John Roberts has "his head in the sand" when it comes to the problems inside the U.S. Supreme Court.

The conservative jurist has publicly condemned the leak of ruling overturning abortion rights before it was issued and applauded a new law aimed at protecting judges from harm, but Roberts has failed to acknowledge the ethical and political issues that have undermined faith in the court, argued MSNBC opinion columnist Jordan Rubin.

"It seems harmless to applaud a law that protects judicial security, the chief effectively dismissed concerns about public accountability — continuing a troubling theme of his tenure," Rubin writes. "Roberts used his pen to write another bedtime story to tuck himself in at the end of a tough year."

The chief justice issued his annual year-end report as public confidence in the court plunged, thanks to scandals involving Republican appointees, but Roberts didn't mention anything about the leak of justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion or Clarence Thomas ruling on Jan. 6 issues that may involve his wife.

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"The chief effectively dismissed concerns about public accountability," Rubin writes, "continuing a troubling theme of his tenure."