November 21, 2018

"Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have 'Obama judges,' and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country."

"It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an 'independent judiciary,' but if it is why...... .....are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security - these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!"

Trump tweets (1, 2).

Backstory: John Roberts said,"We do 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." That was in response to Trump's saying that the most recent judicial rebuff to one of his immigration policies came from an "Obama Judge."

ADDED: I was going to say Trump played Roberts into amplifying Trump's message, but I think it would be more accurate to say Trump, with an assist from Roberts, played the liberal media into amplifying the conservative message. It looks as though Trump and Roberts are on opposite sides, but they are not.

95 comments:

daskol said...

Nonpartisan judiciary bullshit

FIDO said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rabel said...

Nice twitter quote from Andy Grewal over at Instapundit:

"Dunno if it was an accident or if he’s playing 3D chess, but Trump took us from “impeach Kavanaugh and abolish the Supreme Court” to “we must defend all judges” pretty darn quickly."

daskol said...

That’s some dignified twitter discussion, in tone and content.

FIDO said...

It was said by Adrian Vemeule

I suggest that, as a conclusive demonstration of the nonpartisan neutrality of judicial craft, all Obama-appointed judges should step down to be replaced by Trump appointees.



So if there are no 'Trump' or 'Liberal' judges, why is Ginsberg still sticking around if anyone Trump appoints will come to the exact same conclusions she will? This 'death on a stick' judge refuses because she knows what Roberts says is arrant nonsense.

Don't speak to us like we are children, Justice Roberts. That erodes respect for the Judiciary as well.

We wouldn't have had this HUGE battle (that you sat out, you officious swine, et. al.) over Kavanaugh if who the justice was didn't matter.

Darrell said...

Justice Roberts high horse rides pretty low to the ground. Snake low.

gspencer said...

Lefty judges galore. The Constitution's impeachment gears are seizing up with rust from under-use.

Drago said...

Media folks/lefties/paid Lefty-LLR allies take timeout from specifically breaking down every judicial ruling by Presidential appointment for the last 60 years to complain about Trump noticing that different Presidents tend to nominate judges with varying judicial philosophies.

It will be interesting to see how the usual suspects, like LLR Chuck and his Pierre Omidyar-financed fake conservative heroes, spin this into an impeachable tweet.

Mark B said...

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States John Roberts just told a God damned lie. He and everyone who heard it, knows it to be a lie.

What does that mean for us?

Drago said...

Chief Justice Obamacare-savior has spoken.

Dems attempted to destroy a sitting SC justice with obvious lies and smears and even now are calling for Kavanaughs impeachment and pre-attacking his future rulings.

# of public statements by Roberts lamenting such actions and statements by dems and their leaders?

ZERO

eric said...

I can't get enough of this.

The media keeps weakening themselves and their power over our thought processes and they don't even realize it.

This constant stepping on rakes should pretty quickly lead to their ultimate demise as an institution. Which is actually quite terrible for any society.

Susan said...

If this were true, and actually believed to be true, then we wouldn't need wise Latinas would ww? Any judge would do.

Trumpit said...

Right-wing thugs on the Supreme Court handed the 2000 erection to Dubya, who quickly became an infamous warmonger in Iraq. One million died unnecessarily. He rightly hides his head in shame wherever he goes. Vote all Rethuglicans out, and impeach Schlump for treason. He'll run this country into the ground.

chickelit said...

Are you amped on cheeseburgers, Strumpit?

Molly said...

(eaglebeak)

What do you mean? Dubya had a better erection than Gore.

chickelit said...

Gore actually wore brownshirt uniforms on the advice of fashion gurus.

Big Mike said...

It looks as though Trump and Roberts are on opposite sides, but they are not.

Unless, of course, they really are.

Mike Sylwester said...

Trump should resume using his apt and eloquent expression so-called judges.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Nah, Roberts was not teeing it up for Trump. Like most arrogant elitists, Roberts thinks he is an extraordinary individual because he is a judge, therefore judges are special people, and Trump insulted the sensibilities of the fraternity of special people who are judges, so Roberts was defending his caste of special people. Trump just used him, like putting one hand on his hand while dunking over him with the other.

Humperdink said...

Roberts has a short memory. He apparently forgot Obama giving the SCOTUS team an upbraiding at the State of the Union address a few years ago. When Alito responded, who did the media criticize? Not Barack the Magnificent.

The Bergall said...

What is being overlooked is that the plaintiff (s) went judge shopping.

Fact.

Howard said...

Trumps is a dick, but he is exactly right. It is sick and twisted that these middle aged men in black dresses think they are members of a special priesthood above reproach. Fucking lawyers.

Rory said...

"One million died unnecessarily."

If this is the number usually thrown around, it runs back to include deaths under UN sanctions. Bin Laden popularized it in his occasional messages.

Jupiter said...

The law is a machine. Its moving parts are humans. It is not surprising that it does not work well. What is surprising is that it works at all.

Limited blogger said...

We should have robot judges

Humperdink said...

"Trumps is a dick"

He may be a dick, but he's our dick.

rehajm said...

‘Right-wing thugs on the Supreme Court handed the 2000 erection to Dubya’

Calloused hands.

MBunge said...

Yeah, the idea that Roberts in any way thought he was helping Trump is nuts.

Whatever else you say or believe about him, Trump at least deserves credit for turning a blazing spotlight on the deficiencies of our elite. That statement from Roberts is incredible. It's so obviously untrue and ridiculous that you only say it if you assume no one will dare challenge you.

Mike

robother said...

Those judicial robes conceal many a naked partisan. 90% of the 9th Circuit are going commando.

wholelottasplainin said...

chickenlittle said...
Are you amped on cheeseburgers, Strumpit?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My guess is, Trumpit weighs 600 pounds, and when he's not pounding his fists on the keyboard here, he's bragging on other sites that he can "warsh hissef wif a rag on a stick".

wholelottasplainin said...

Humperdink said...
Roberts has a short memory. He apparently forgot Obama giving the SCOTUS team an upbraiding at the State of the Union address a few years ago. When Alito responded, who did the media criticize? Not Barack the Magnificent.
*********************

THIS!!!!

rehajm said...

As a kid I would jokingly add the prefix scum sucking in front of lawyer. I’m considering returning to that convention.

Comanche Voter said...

There is a reason why "judge shopping" has gone on for at least the last three generations of lawyers. Finding the "right' judge makes a difference in both state and federal courts.

Ken B said...

Roberts coughed up a bullshit nostrum. Pre Trump you usually got away with such pious bullshit. No one believed it but no one challenged it. Now it gets challenged. I think that a good thing.

Ken B said...

Althouse is wrong here. Roberts wasn’t teeing it up. He was standing on his dignity. And he did it in the same way he has done it, and been praised for, all his life: with pious, irenic twaddle.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Now it gets challenged. I think that a good thing.

Just wanted to second this. It’s perfectly fine to argue that judges on both sides are doing their best to implement their legal philosophies in good faith, but pretending that there’s no difference is simply insulting. And Trump’s ability to highlight this mendacity is why he’ll be re-elected.

cronus titan said...

"Trumps is a dick"

Trump is a dick! Reckless, arrogant, stupid dick. And the media are pussies. And Obama judges are assholes. Pussies don't like dicks, because pussies get fucked by dicks. But dicks also fuck assholes - assholes who just want to shit on everything. Pussies may think they can deal with assholes their way, but the only thing that can fuck an asshole is a dick, with some balls. The problem with dicks is that sometimes they fuck too much, or fuck when it isn't appropriate - and it takes a pussy to show 'em that. But sometimes pussies get so full of shit that they become assholes themselves, because pussies are only an inch-and-a-half away from assholes. I don't know much in this crazy, crazy world, but I do know that if you don't let us fuck this asshole, we are going to have our dicks and our pussies all covered in shit.

Ken B said...

“I am Spartacus!”

Howard said...

now we know what triggers cronus titan and humpertwink

rhhardin said...

Magna scum laude.

Humperdink said...

@Ho. cornus's contribution was a work of art. And it triggered you!!!

wholelottasplainin said...

What EXACTLY did Roberts say publicly when Baraka criticized the Citizens United decision in his 2010 SOTU speech? Bupkis.

When has Trump ever try to pack the SCOTUS to***get***his***way, as FDR did? If a judge is a judge is a judge, why would he need to do that?

Every fucking obvious thing the prog elites say w/o acknowledging their own history drives more and more Americans to take steps to keep their powder dry.

gbarto said...

Cronus Titan was quoting Team America.

Howard said...

I didn't read cronus, it all based on the gestalt of the paragraph he tapped out.

It was a dick move, understanding that making a dick move is the best play from time to time. Trump entertains the base, but does this cost him elsewhere? Probably not. But it will cost LLR GOPers in favor of democrats as Trump goes bi to triangulate a win in 2020.

cronus titan said...

gbarto, you spoiled the fun. I was wondering how long that would take.

Still, sometimes assholes need a good fucking. And Trump is just the dick to do it.

Howard said...

gbarto: then cronus not all bad.

Browndog said...

I've read several accounts that lawyers, good lawyers, will immediately find out who appointed the federal judge assigned to their case to know how to proceed.

roesch/voltaire said...

After the appointment of a blatant partisian hack,Kavanaugh, to the Supreme Court Roberts is feeling a bit defensive about right wing activism in the courts, but not too much.

PM said...

One never forgets how magnificent T-A is.
Gary? Gary?

holdfast said...

It is pretty hilarious how Roberts can’t wait to correct Trump when Trump was just using a shorthand formulation that is used by the MSM all the time. But when Obama insulted and mau-mau’d the Court? Not a fucking word from Roberts.

Freder Frederson said...

Are you high? How long were you a Constitutional Law Professor? Do you really think Roberts is "assisting" Trump? And if he is, you should be outraged!

Browndog said...

It is not a odd thing that no one, absolutely no one, in America believes what Roberts said.

What is odd, he gave this statement to the AP to be published, knowing no one in America would believe it.

Sprezzatura said...

So sad that DJT has a wee dick.

So mentally tormented. Poor thing.

Inga...Allie Oop said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Humperdink said...

r/v said: "After the appointment of a blatant partisian hack,Kavanaugh ...."

Speaking of blatant partisan hackery, prior to her appointment to SCOTUS, Darth Vader Ginsberg was a member of the ACLU's board of directors and one of its general counsels in the 1970s. She remains on life support.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Teh media stated down the road of who appointed what judge.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

The problem with Trumpists is that they’re way too much into “playing” other Americans. I guess old fashioned governing and decency is just too boring. It’s a brave new world in Trumpland. The rest of us live in the reality of recognizing that those overly concerned with playing and games and the politics of spite will eventually lose big to the serious people of Americawho are more concerned with the welfare of the Democracy.

The midterms brought out 9 million more people who voted Democratic than Republican. The focus was /is the good of the country and much less concern with “playing” anyone

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Are you high? How long were you a Constitutional Law Professor? Do you really think Roberts is "assisting" Trump? And if he is, you should be outraged!”

Maybe it’s the cataracts...

FIDO said...

I don't think Roberts had any idea how ridiculous what he said was.

One does not get paens to Ginsberg 'defending' abortion rights in all the media if there isn't dimes worth of difference in judicial philosophy.

Now he is incredibly aware of how ridiculous he appears.

Trump wins the point but he made no friends doing it.

David Begley said...

Who appointed RBG? LBJ?

24AheadDotCom said...

Trumpit: if you really want to hurt Trump cultists you have to undercut them where they're most vulnerable. To wit: in his Daily Caller interview, Trump said he wants to work with the Dems on "comprehensive immigration reform". That's amnesty. And, that means anyone who enables Trump is enabling amnesty. And, enabling amnesty is toxic to conservatives. Use that to force pro-Trump leaders to back away from Trump, reducing his ability to do anything.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Actually- the more I think of it - Roberts did Trump a favor.


It's Ok for Media to say "Trump judge" but nobody else. Just the media.

Humperdink said...

"Who appointed RBG?"

The Sunday school teacher from Stacey Abrams country.

Big Mike said...

@David Begley, it’s possible that she goes back to Andrew Jackson.

Browndog said...

It's obvious to me that Brennan found something on Roberts during his "spy on everyone in government that may pose a threat to Obama" days that forced him to re-write his Obamacare opinion 4 days before the SC ruled.

The Deep State will out live Trump, make no mistake.

FIDO said...

Who appointed RBG? LBJ

Well, she didn't mind the Code of Hammurabi, but that Magna Carta nonsense was just going too far.

Sebastian said...

"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges"

Daskol said it, but:

Judicial neutrality bullshit.

It took a bullshitter to expose elite bullshit.

narciso said...

Ironic in light of the fact that felicity jones(jyrn urso) and Arnie hammer (the lone ranger) will be playing them,

Michael Fitzgerald said...

If Kav-brah doesn't turn out to be a Trump judge, my disappointment will be immeasurable, and my days ruined.

wholelottasplainin said...

anti-de Sitter space said...
So sad that DJT has a wee dick.

So mentally tormented. Poor thing.

&&&&&&&&&&

For a guy with a wee dick, he's married some very beautiful women and cranked out some very, very good looking offspring.

Snort.

AZ Bob said...

Let's how many Republican appointees to SCOTUS pissed backward to those of Democrat appointees. Can you name one?

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M Jordan said...

Impeach Roberts. He’s a coward and a moron.

Amadeus 48 said...

Every news story for the last fifteen years about any controversial decision has specified who appointed the judge or judges. Roberts is kidding us, and the MSM knows it. In fact, they promote it.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Impeach Roberts.”

Democratic House, did you forget?

Browndog said...

The next time a Democrat President nominates a SC judge that turns out to be an actual 'moderate' will be the same time post election votes swing from democrat to republican.

Who the fuck are we kidding? We all pretend like rules and norms matter, but know everything is rigged one way.

narciso said...

Like the wave that swept away Mia love, sure that happens, just like every seat in orange xounty. But hunter in San siego survived

Birkel said...

I am glad to see the Leftists above come to the realization that Merrick Garland thing was no big deal and Mitch McConnell did nothing improper.

Anybody read any news reports on RBG's health?

rcocean said...

Is it ever possible for the Republican Establishment to - EVER - just shut the fuck up?

No. that's impossible.

They ALWAYS, have to show their Liberal/Leftist buddies they're Establishment First, and Republicans or Conservatives Second.

Of course, their liberal/Leftist buddies NEVER - NEVER - return the favor.

Fools.

Narayanan said...

ABC headline
Trump blasts judge's ruling blocking asylum restrictions, predicts Supreme Court win
Roberts trying to damp prediction?
Wondering who/what motivated him.

M Jordan said...

Blogger Inga...Allie Oop said...
“Impeach Roberts.”

Democratic House, did you forget?

Not till January.

Yancey Ward said...

Roberts stepped in it, no way around it. What he said is clearly incorrect, and pretty much everyone knows it, too. The judiciary is just as political as the Congress is. Roberts just comes off as hopelessly foolish.

readering said...

If there is one thing all federal article 3 judges hate it's being linked to the president who appointed them. Roberts hates being termed a bush judge and it goes from there. (maybe someone is alive who takes pride in being linked to JFK).

readering said...

Meanwhile, just today's idiotic pronouncement from POTUS.

.... And sign of weird Althouse blind spot.

Wilbur said...

Roberts? He's just whistling in the dark.

He's still pretending Federal judges are non-partisan. That train left the station a long time ago. Unfortunately for us all.

tim maguire said...

That thing about no Obama judges and no Trump judges is silly nonsense, but Althouse has a great observation that it’s easy to miss just how little Justice Roberts actually says here.

He doesn’t say there aren’t liberal and conservative judges. He doesn’t say people who judge shop are wasting their time. He just says judges are true to their consciences. He doesn’t say anything about what goes on in those consciences.

Humperdink said...

Baghdad John Roberts.

Or maybe more accurately, from Casablanca: "I am shocked, shocked, there is gambling going on around here".

Wince said...

Roberts might be on to something.

New Rule: if you are seeking a nation-wide injunction against administration policy, you have to accept assignment to a court chosen at random.

Narayanan said...

I'd say Roberts is trying to downplay Trump's predicted SC win.

Preemptively signally virtue ...

He's anticipating pressure campaigns to come.

I don't trust judges who smi(rk)le too much.

Narayanan said...

you have to accept assignment
@EDH ... How do you set up this? Without SC as Clearinghouse?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'm pretty sure this is an impeachable offense.

Right up there with saying anything bad about money grubber power-hunger Hillary.

Chuck said...

I ask of retired legal scholar Ann Althouse; can you explain this quote from Donald Trump?

“That’s not law. . . . Every case, no matter where it is . . . they file it in what’s called the Ninth Circuit. This was an Obama judge. I’ll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore.”

(That quote, by the way, is drawn from the current story in the New Yorker about Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts.)

What is Trump really proposing to do, about federal jurisdiction and venue choice in immigration cases? How exactly does Trump propose to make good on his claim that begins with a Trump-trademark “Tell you what,” that it’s not going to happen anymore?

I am obviously not able to access Chief Justice Roberts’ innermost thoughts; but to me that line from Trump was where he veered from the mere stupid (wherein he was referring to “what they call the Ninth Circuit,” to the idiotic (in which he launched into a vague threat about an executive branch restriction on federal court jurisdiction) is what must have been the last straw that prompted the Chief Justice to speak out.

Chuck said...

Blogger tim maguire said...
That thing about no Obama judges and no Trump judges is silly nonsense, but Althouse has a great observation that it’s easy to miss just how little Justice Roberts actually says here.

He doesn’t say there aren’t liberal and conservative judges. He doesn’t say people who judge shop are wasting their time. He just says judges are true to their consciences. He doesn’t say anything about what goes on in those consciences.

Because Chief Justice Roberts is highly intelligent, and a jurist of the highest skill, training and experience, he could engage in a good and productive debate about federal judicial nominations, the confirmation process, separation of powers and judicial philosophy.

As you seem to have suggested.

And because he is an ignoramus, Trump talks about “Obama judges.”

Tom Grey said...

"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges."
Trump is on the side of Truth - Roberts is on the side of FAKE News = PC horse manure. To deny the truth is exactly why normal folk are against the PC liars.

"What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them." But when an illegal alien is given an equal right to US justice as a US citizen , this is in contradiction to the law as written by US Congress. Illegals in the US do not, and legally should not, have "equal rights".

"That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for." Trump is for this too -- including independent of PC BS & Dem hysteria, tho not independent from rule of law.

Ann says: played the liberal media into amplifying the conservative message.
But what is that message? a) who nominates a judge is important? b) we should be thankful for an independent judiciary? c) Judges look like they are NOT giving equal rights to conservatives and liberals?
If (a), that there ARE differences between Trump judges & Obama judges, I'd say, yes, this message is amplified.
But Ann should have been more clear on what message it is -- plus she could note how in specifying it she is also, like Roberts, amplifying it. So maybe she should add that it is wrong, or right, and why.

Unknown said...

Roberts claims idetic memory

He forgot the oath of office for Obama

Hey AOC has a recipe for instantpot beans