WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview airing Thursday that Chief Justice John Roberts has let down conservatives because of his decisions in which he sided with the Supreme Court’s liberal justices.
“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 whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions,” Pence said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, who released a clip of this portion of the interview Wednesday night.
Pence said that Roberts’ rulings are a reminder “of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court.”
The vice president specifically criticized Roberts for one of the recent decisions in which he sided with the high court’s liberals and struck down an restrictive abortion law in Louisiana. Pence noted the law required ” doctors working in abortion clinics would have to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.”
“That’s a very modest restriction on abortion providers, but a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable,” he said. “And I think it’s been, 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.”
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In addition to the ruling that overturned the law restricting access to abortions, Roberts cast the deciding vote by joining liberal justices in a 5-4 decision that blocked the Trump administration from shutting down DACA, which allows young people known as Dreamers to remain in the U.S. In a 6-3 decision, Roberts also joined the majority ruling federal law does not allow job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status.
Pence reiterated in the interview that President Donald Trump plans to release a list of candidates that he could draw from for future appointments to the Supreme Court.
