Impeachment Moves To Next Phase, Chief Justice John Roberts To Take Center Stage
January 29, 2020
QUESTIONING EVERYTHING
|Noah Weiland with The New York Times speaks with his colleague and Supreme Court reporter, Adam Liptak, in which they discuss the new role CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS will play now that senators are moving on to the next stage of the impeachment trial. Starting today, House managers and White House lawyers will answer questions submitted in writing by senators, who won’t be able to speak during the sessions. Chief Justice Roberts will read the questions, alternating between Democrats and Republicans. When asked what the chief justice’s objectives might be during this trial, Liptak noted, “The institution the chief justice cares about is the Supreme Court. If he were credibly accused of partisanship at the impeachment trial, it would damage his reputation and the reputation of the court. My sense is that his main goal is to avoid sustaining that kind of damage.”
A SERIOUS MAN
|Joan Biskupic with CNN also takes a look at this next phase of the trial and what we can expect from CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS. “Beginning Wednesday, Roberts will be less lighthearted and far more visible. He will be the voice of senators, with his visage at the center of the screen as he reads their questions. Roberts will pose questions that the senators write on forms to the US House managers and President Donald Trump’s lawyers.”
STEP ASIDE NOW SIR
|Speaking of important questions…Would JOHN ROBERTS have to recuse himself from a Trump suit challenging JOHN BOLTON? Marcia Coyle with The National Law Journal reports, “U.S. Supreme Court justices generally are reluctant to step aside from cases and leave their colleagues in potential deadlocks. But Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. may have little choice if President Donald Trump heads to court to restrict current or former administration officials from testifying at his impeachment trial.”
LISTEN UP Y'ALL CUZ THIS IS IT
|On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled to reinstate an immigration policy known as the “public charge” rule which would create new barriers to low-income immigrants seeking to enter the U.S. Ian Millhiser with Vox suggests that although the SCOTUS majority didn’t provide an explanation for its decision, JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH did pen a concurring opinion that Democrats in particular may want to pay closer attention to.