I don't read this as Roberts pushing back on Trump. I read it as Roberts inoculating the Supreme Court from criticism when they ultimately affirm some of Trump's most egregious crap. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/roberts-r…
The conservative members of the court are highly sympathetic to the pro-authoritarian, pro-corporation, anti anti-racism, anti-immigrant substance of Trumpism. They object to the style. Roberts wants to be able to help enact Trumpist policies without getting tagged as Trumpist
When the SC refuses to address partisan gerrymandering, rejects renewing the voting rights act, and even potentially strikes down the federal right to abortion, he wants to make sure we all know it's just judges calling balls and strikes, not ideologues acting politically.
Trump's bleating about partisan judges bothers Roberts because it makes it harder for ideologues such as the conservative majority on the court to rule along partisan lines. Trump is wrong about why he's losing, but he's not entirely wrong about the underlying forces at work.
The courts are only a check on Trump until they aren't, and once they aren't, they're gone quickly and possibly forever. Trump is the institution wrecker. It's only a matter of time before the courts go down too.
I understand why people remain invested in believing in our institutions like the independent judiciary, but two years of Trump should've disabused most everyone of the notion that those institutions have any real currency in the face of those determined to wreck them.
We're in a post-institution age. Trump exploited the phenomenon. The wrecking of the legislature is essentially traceable to Gingrich. The SC destroyed itself with Bush v. Gore. Trump is wrecking the executive. Roberts is trying to maintain an illusion. insidehighered.com/blogs/just-vis…
Huh. I guess this is getting some attention. No Soundcloud, but I have a book just out that argues how to empower students to think independently through their writing in order to help resist movements like Trumpism. amazon.com/Why-They-Cant-…
