In a speech in Colorado on Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts fired back at critics of the court that has come under fire for judicial activism with little regard for history and legal precedent.
Following a session that saw the 6-3 conservative court throw out the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling that protected a woman's right to make their own reproductive rights decisions, the court is set to convene again on the first Monday of October under a cloud and fears of more extremist opinions.
According to the Washington Post, Roberts -- who has been accused of losing control of the so-called "Roberts Court" -- told the assembled audience made up of attorneys and judges, "The court has always decided controversial cases and decisions always have been subject to intense criticism and that is entirely appropriate."
Continuing in that vein, he fired back at the court's critics.
“You don’t want the political branches telling you what the law is. And you don’t want public opinion to be the guide of what the appropriate decision is,” he explained “Yes, all of our opinions are open to criticism. In fact, our members do a great job of criticizing some opinions from time to time. But simply because people disagree with an opinion is not a basis for criticizing the legitimacy of the court.”
According to the Post's Robert Barnes and Michael Karlick, "With the support of three justices chosen by President Donald Trump in the past five years, the Supreme Court now has a 6-to-3 conservative majority. Those justices sent the court on a dramatic turn to the right in the term completed this summer, overturning the guarantee of a constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade, striking a gun control law in New York, limiting the power of the Biden administration to confront climate change, and scoring victories for religious conservatives."
The report notes that Roberts was dismayed by protests outside the court, particularly after the court overturned Roe, telling the audience, "It was gut-wrenching every morning to drive into a Supreme Court with barricades around it."
“When we take the bench the first Monday in October at 10 a.m., the public will be there to watch us,” Roberts added. “I think just moving forward from things that were unfortunate is the best way to respond to it.”
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