Washington – Chief Justice John Roberts initially sided with the Supreme Court’s four conservative justices to strike down the heart of President Obama’s health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, but later changed his position and formed an alliance with liberals to uphold the bulk of the law, according to two sources with specific knowledge of the deliberations.
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Roberts then withstood a month-long, desperate campaign to bring him back to his original position, the sources said. Ironically, Justice Anthony Kennedy – believed by many conservatives to be the justice most likely to defect and vote for the law – led the effort to try to bring Roberts back to the fold.
“He was relentless,” one source said of Kennedy’s efforts. “He was very engaged in this.”
But this time, Roberts held firm. And so the conservatives handed him their own message which, as one justice put it, essentially translated into, “You’re on your own.”
The conservatives refused to join any aspect of his opinion, including sections with which they agreed, such as his analysis imposing limits on Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause, the sources said.
Instead, the four joined forces and crafted a highly unusual, unsigned joint dissent. They deliberately ignored Roberts’ decision, the sources said, as if they were no longer even willing to engage with him in debate.
The inner-workings of the Supreme Court are almost impossible to penetrate. The Court’s private conferences, when the justices discuss cases and cast their initial votes, include only the nine members – no law clerks or secretaries are permitted. The justices are notoriously close-lipped, and their law clerks must agree to keep matters completely confidential.
But in this closely-watched case, word of Roberts’ unusual shift has spread widely within the Court, and is known among law clerks, chambers’ aides and secretaries. It also has stirred the ire of the conservative justices, who believed Roberts was standing with them.
Read full article at CBS News
non-sense, in the supreme court nothing leaks out! those who know don’t talk & those who talk don’t know…..
This my dear folks is how Hashem works. G-d plants a seed in the mind and when he wants, he waters it to really be a plant. And thus a man even of Roberts nature might side with the liberal (“ungodly”) majority of Americans. Miracles happan and I think this is a very likely example. And I bet Mr. Roberts will someday look back and say “what did I do???” Wait and see.
The Obama regime along with their friends in the media engaged in a shameful campaign to influence Justice Roberts. It was evident to all that they were doing it but no one believed it would be successful.
It’s a sad day in America when the branch of government that’s supposed to be independent, gets bullied into making an unconstitutional decision because of political pressure.
Rofeh asks, “Who knows how many MORE lives will be lost than saved as a result of the degradation of the quality of health care in the United States.” What degradation? Health care is becoming a luxury rather than an entitlement. The cost is going up, and fewer jobs provide health care. We’re reaching the point where if you can afford it, you’ll get it.
You state that, “Canadians who can afford to do so come to the USA in order to have serious health issues treated.” People from all over the world who can afford it come to the USA. It’s because we provide the best care that money can buy. If you don’t have the money, you can’t buy the care. And more and more people in the US don’t have the money, and they aren’t getting the care from their employers.
Rofeh:
Your distaste for “socialized medicine” is obvious. However, it does not necessarily conform to reality. The socialized medical systems of France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia all function quite well. The Swiss system of mandatory private insurance, which is the closest thing to Obamacare, also functions well. And I am old enough to remember that before Medicare and Medicaid, the Soviet system delivered better medical care to most of it citizens than that of the US. Furthermore, the “adequate care” that our system delivers to most of our citizens is fast becoming too expensive or out of reach for an increasing number of our citizens. Fewer companies are providing medical insurance; this trend predates Obamacare. Medicare and medicaid cutbacks loom in the backround. No matter what happens, our system will degrade. But fear not, wealthy Canadians will still be able to get superior care here in the US, because money will still be able to buy it.