#Pence blasts Chief Justice Roberts as ‘disappointment to conservatives’

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Mike Pence (left) and Chief Justice John Roberts
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Vice President Pence issued a rare rebuke of Chief Justice John Roberts, calling him a “disappointment to conservatives” over his recent rulings.

In an interview with CBN News set to air Thursday, Pence referred to the Supreme Court justice by name while criticizing some of his recent decisions.

“Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives,” the vice president told the network.

Pence went on to reference cases where Roberts acted as a swing vote for the liberal side of the bench, including 2012 decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act and his position against a Nevada church requesting to lift a state attendance limit amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are a reminder of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court. We remember the issue back in 2016, which I believe loomed large in voters’ decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who became president of the United States,” he said.

The vice president then referenced a Louisiana case on an abortion matter. Roberts, Pence said, declined to place “a very modest restriction on abortion providers.”

“I think it’s been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020,” he said.

Roberts has sparred with members of the Trump administration before.

In November 2018, the Chief Justice issued a rare rebuke of his own to President Trump, who had been criticizing a judge who ruled against his asylum policy.

When Trump called the judge an “Obama judge,” Roberts fired back, saying that the US does not have “Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.”

“What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for,” he said at the time.