‘The Two Of Them Said It’s Time To Go’: Chief Justice Roberts Shares Thoughts About Retiring

Go to Article

Although he was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by a Republican president and initially expected to tilt the bench to the right, Chief Justice John Roberts has aggravated conservatives on numerous occasions with his votes on key cases.

Some of his critics have expressed an interest in seeing him step down, which would give President Donald Trump another opportunity to nominate a justice for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court.

Without addressing the backlash directly, Roberts did discuss his retirement plans — or lack thereof.

As The Hill reported:

Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday he doesn’t think about retiring, but he once asked two longtime friends to intervene if his health is ever in decline.

“I’ve sat down with them and said, ‘I want at the appropriate time’ — because you don’t always notice that you’re slipping — ‘I want the two of you to tell me if it’s time to go,’” Roberts told a crowd of judges and lawyers gathered in Buffalo, N.Y.

“It was a long pause, and at once, the two of them said, ‘It’s time to go.’ So I said, ‘Alright, never mind,’” he continued.

Roberts, 70, made clear he has no plans to step down any time soon, joking, “I’m going out feet first” when the question came up.

“I say that now. I mean, I’m sure if your health declines, and if you recognize that you’re a burden to the court rather than part of an assist to everybody, then, it’ll be time to go,” he said.

Roberts’ remarks at the recent event drew significant social media attention:

According to Fox News, Roberts is also facing a new lawsuit from one Trump-aligned legal group:

A pro-Trump legal group founded by White House aide Stephen Miller is suing Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts — a long-shot move as Trump allies fight court rulings blocking key actions from the Oval Office.

The lawsuit was filed by the America First Legal Foundation against Roberts in his capacity as the official head of the U.S. Judicial Conference and Robert J. Conrad, who serves as the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The complaint accuses both the U.S. Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts of performing certain regulatory actions that go beyond the scope of resolving cases or controversies, or administratively supporting those actions, which they argue are the “core functions” of the judiciary.

Here’s a full clip of his remarks:

What’s your opinion?



Comment on this Article Via Your Disqus Account