Posted on 07/01/2012 12:16:38 PM PDT by kristinn
Chief Justice John Roberts initially sided with the Supreme Court's four conservative justices to strike down the heart of President Obama's health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, but later changed his position and formed an alliance with liberals to uphold the bulk of the law, according to two sources with specific knowledge of the deliberations.
Roberts then withstood a month-long, desperate campaign to bring him back to his original position, the sources said. Ironically, Justice Anthony Kennedy - believed by many conservatives to be the justice most likely to defect and vote for the law - led the effort to try to bring Roberts back to the fold....
But in this closely-watched case, word of Roberts' unusual shift has spread widely within the Court, and is known among law clerks, chambers' aides and secretaries. It also has stirred the ire of the conservative justices, who believed Roberts was standing with them.
After the historic oral arguments in March, the two knowledgeable sources said, Roberts and the four conservatives were poised to strike down at least the individual mandate. There were other issues being argued - severability and the Medicaid extension - but the mandate was the ballgame.
SNIP
It is not known why Roberts changed his view on the mandate and decided to uphold the law. At least one conservative justice tried to get him to explain it, but was unsatisfied with the response, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.
SNIP
Roberts then engaged in his own lobbying effort - trying to persuade at least Justice Kennedy to join his decision so the Court would appear more united in the case. There was a fair amount of give-and-take with Kennedy and other justices, the sources said. One justice, a source said, described it as "arm-twisting."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
He was threatened.
Some people just hate Americans and America although they can’t explain why.
Traitor. Pure. And. Simple.
Obama, the coverup king, has had his evil regime dig up some dirt on Roberts. They may have a photo of him french kissing a poodle.
Early-onset Alzheimer’s?
He wasn’t threatened, he was bought. He loves corporations.
I really believe that the threat of mob violence and burning cities has many “leaders” scared witless.
french kissing a poodle
Whoa..I guess he really is secretly a liberal.
Heartily agree.
the Affordable Care Act has 300+ pages detailing how the US goverment will control and regulate the industry as well as force participation of the citizens in the federal governments regulation of what is a wide range of PUBLIC entities.
The governement regulation and control of public entities IN THIS MANNER is not authorized under the general welfare clause or the interstate commerce clause and certainly does not fit the enumerated powers.
I blame the five "justices" who did not do their job of interpreting constitutionality, but instead twisted a morsel of fabricated fact (that it is a tax contrary to what the content of the bill details) in order to justify their personal paradigm of socialism.
Even if it is in fact a tax is not their business, taxation is certainly at the discretion of congress. the issue in question was this ; does congress have the authority to regulate public entities and force the people to fund their imposition ?
it is exactly the same as if they passed "the Affordable Car Act", forcing a tax in order to make you buy a car, with 300 pages detailing how they will control each car company and how they will decide what car you will have , the fact that it is funded by a tax does NOT address the constitutionality of the act but is merly a deflection and dereliction of the duties of a cheif justice
?
Time for Impeachment
Or his family, to which I respond, "Lives, fortunes, and Sacred Honor," and all that crap, right Johnny boy? You did know that with high honor comes great risk, didn't you? /s
It's not like I haven't taken similar risks myself.
The reporter on the Fox News panel from the Washington Post says “Roberts plays chess while everybody else plays checkers.” He notes that Roberts got 2 of the liberals to go along with him against Medicaid expansion and is reaping what amounts to “strange new respect” from the left as a “reasonable guy.” He claims that sets him up to be able to return to the conservative side in upcoming votes next year on affirmative action and some provisions of the voting rights act. Plus , it appears to me the left recognizes he really handed them a hot potato with the “taxation with misrepresentation” decision. Chrissy Mathews panel of experts voted 8-4 that Romney would be wise to downplay Obamacare , so that tells you Romney should do the opposite. So even if unintentional, Roberts is going to help the Republicans re-take the Senate and the White House.
“Obama, the coverup king, has had his evil regime dig up some dirt on Roberts. They may have a photo of him french kissing a poodle.”
Didn’t they already do that in order to get the super-secret SECOND swearing-in by CJ Roberts a few years ago?
Mr. Roberts is truly a cowardly man who should never have been entrusted with the office that was granted him.
"You have a nice family there your honor. It'd be a shame if anything happened to them wouldn't it?"
Far fetched? Think Marcy Park.
Correct. Regardless of his reasons, Roberts is a traitor, a man who values his legacy more in the process of selling out We the People, a man who should know what the stakes are in his position on the SCOTUS, a man who should have had the courage and fortitude to do the right thing IF he was threatened. But he chose otherwise, and now he belongs to the damned known as traitors.
The reporter on the Fox News panel from the Washington Post says “Roberts plays chess while everybody else plays checkers.” He notes that Roberts got 2 of the liberals to go along with him against Medicaid expansion and is reaping what amounts to “strange new respect” from the left as a “reasonable guy.”
He claims that sets him up to be able to return to the conservative side in upcoming votes next year on affirmative action and some provisions of the voting rights act. Plus , it appears to me the left recognizes he really handed them a hot potato with the “taxation with misrepresentation” decision.
Chrissy Mathews panel of experts voted 8-4 that Romney would be wise to downplay Obamacare , so that tells you Romney should do the opposite. So even if unintentional, Roberts is going to help the Republicans re-take the Senate and the White House.
From all the “arm twisting”, it’s obvious Roberts’ decision was strictly political. What I don’t understand is if he was blackmailed why did rule it’s a tax? You’d think when you blackmail someone you can make him do anything you want.
This is one of the most alarming things to happen in a long damned time. And I know every DAY there’s another assault on our liberty but this is really beyond anything.
...When Obama heard the ORIGINAL mis-reporting on CNN that it was overturned- he was “puzzled and surprised”....
...Roberts was red-eyed and upset while reading the ruling...
Seriously- what the HELL went on here?
Put up or shut up, I say within the week Obama’s numbers are down and Romney leads.
WOW.....this dude’s “legacy” is over, IMO. THe Supreme Court doesn’t leak like this normally. If his eyes were red and he seemed unhappy when he read his opinion on Thursday morning, it was likely because he knew the other conservative justices were done with him.
Here’s the chess: Roberts officially made this a tax. Well, when the IRS tries to collect the tax, the issue of procedural due process will come into play due to the waivers (equal protection), and the Court will strike it down then. But wait, the waivers have been issued, you say? True, but they don’t do anything procedurally yet.
It’s a Texas two-step. The “win” is illusory.
So Justice Kennedy was the one trying to get Roberts to see straight? Where were Alito, Scalia and Thomas?
I'd rather stick my finger into an electric socket than kiss John Kerry.
Bottom line, the ruling hurts Obama. A rejection would have hurt him , too. But upholding on the commerce clause would have helped him. IMO.
Oh, ans as to why do this? Roberts just got two libs on the Court to help gut the Commerce Clause, and not in dicta. That’s binding precedent now.
If I’m correct, this will all have ended up being a huge win for us. Bonus: Obamacare will be a millstone around obastard’s and the Demscums’ necks come election time.
Chess indeed...
You are not correct.
The vote on the commerce clause argument was 4-1-4, NO ONE joined CJ Roberts' opinion on that (perhaps his switch was so late that there was not enough time), but Roberts' musings about the commerce clause had exactly ONE vote, it is therefore NOT precedent, and when the next communist is appointed to the court it will be flushed down the crapper anyway.
“It is not known why Roberts changed his view on the mandate and decided to uphold the law”
He found a horses head in his bed.
I guess we know where he would stand on eligibility.
Another lawsuit needs to be brought before the Supreme Court: Can the federal government tax a citizen for inactivity while giving waivers to others for the same inactivity?
A friend of the family who supported so strongly "conservative" Roberts after he had been nominated by Bush is one of those swearing to not vote because it's Romney and not a "conservative" running against Obama. He's still thinking his candidate will jump in.
He's been trying to tell everyone that Roberts did the right thing for the party because now Obama will lose because it's a tax.
“Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito “
My justice has a first name.... it’s C L A R E N C E.
My Justice has a second name ..... it’s T H O M A S.
WTF, Justice CLARENCE Thomas doesn’t get the courtesy of a first name along with Antonin & Samuel?
OIh yeah, he’s just the Black guy. The Uncle Tom on the court (sarc)
“Bottom line, the ruling hurts Obama”
I agree, but Roberts should be impeached anyway.
The way I see it, Roberts was either bribed, blackmailed or tried to manipulate the outcome of the election.
All of these scenarios make him unfit to be the chief justice and we shouldn’t have to live with this mistake for another 30 years.
The bottom line is that the man is a traitor and I have less respect for him now than I do about the lib members of the court. The fact that after the ruling he ran away to his “impregnable fortress” in the Mediterranean clearly indicates that he is aware that what he did was wrong.
If He'd done it my way, it may have met needs for a while, but by doing it HIS way much more was accomplished.So I have learned to let go and let God.
Just as I trust in God's will for my life, I will trust that for whatever reason, Roberts made a convoluted decision because he knew another matter needed attention and would need this sacrificial pawn to achieve it. It's not like he didn't tell us how to solve the problem....VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT!
Did the judge just ask the US to divide the baby. Will the true mother of the child come forward? Will the country be saved?
Looks toward the Judges decision in the Bible...Even in the New Testament Christ could not have gone to the cross, and been resurected if the Judge had not done God's will.
Giving the power to the people to make the decision is Biblical.
I remember Pelosi predicting that Roberts would be the deciding vote for commiecare.
“It is not known why Roberts changed his view on the mandate and decided to uphold the law. At least one conservative justice tried to get him to explain it, but was unsatisfied with the response, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.”
Not a clue how he got pressured. Certainly it wasnt his waiting till his 40s to get married, when he realized he wanted to be a federal judge.
And it surely wasn’t his -Pro Bono- work to overturn to Colorado law excluding homos from EEOC minority status.
And it certainly wasn’t his friendly ruling for gay marriage in DC.
And i’m almost SURE that the dems never had access to his FBI file from when he worked in GHW Bush’s white house counsel office.
I think he was told he was about to be given the Cain, Palin, Newt, treatment. Didnt want to be the next Governor McGreevey from New Jersey.
“It is not known why Roberts changed his view on the mandate and decided to uphold the law. At least one conservative justice tried to get him to explain it, but was unsatisfied with the response, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.”
Not a clue how he got pressured. Certainly it wasnt his waiting till his 40s to get married, when he realized he wanted to be a federal judge.
And it surely wasn’t his -Pro Bono- work to overturn to Colorado law excluding homos from EEOC minority status.
And it certainly wasn’t his friendly ruling for gay marriage in DC.
And i’m almost SURE that the dems never had access to his FBI file from when he worked in GHW Bush’s white house counsel office.
I think he was told he was about to be given the Cain, Palin, Newt, treatment. Didnt want to be the next Governor McGreevey from New Jersey.
Is Roberts trying to do for Obama what Ross Perot did for Clinton??
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