John Cassidy: “Give John Roberts his due: he’s a deft politician. Faced with calls from the right to upend the Affordable Care Act, a decision that would have caused a great uproar, the Chief Justice came up with an obscure argument about taxation that few people had hitherto considered, in support of a five-to-four ruling that President Obama’s health-care reform, or most of it, was constitutional. That was almost two years ago. Having avoided bringing the Supreme Court into disrepute during an election year, Roberts evidently feels confident enough to continue the Court’s assault on the campaign-finance laws, which is fast emerging as the signature contribution of his tenure.”
Rick Hasen: “Chief Justice Roberts continually shows a desire to downplay the significance of his rulings, and ostensible political naiveté is now part of the path to get there. As much as I disagree with Justice Thomas’s opinions in both the Voting Rights Act and campaign finance cases, I respect the fact that he tells it like it is and pulls no punches. Not a hint of ‘faux judicial restraint.'”
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