Share
Commentary

Tom Cotton Calls for Resignation of Chief Justice Roberts for Choosing Politics Over the Constitution

Share

Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton urged Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to step down from the bench and enter the political arena, if his true desire is to shape public policy.

Cotton’s statement came after Roberts chose to side with the liberal justices on the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision handed down Thursday, determining that the Trump administration did not explain well enough why it wanted to end the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, created by President Barack Obama by executive order.

But as National Review’s David Harsanyi noted on Thursday, Obama himself had acknowledged on numerous occasions that he did not have the authority to issue such an order — before he did it.

To Cotton, the court’s Thursday ruling was political, not legal.

“It cannot be the law that what Barack Obama has unlawfully done, no president may undo. Yet John Roberts again postures as a Solomon who will save our institutions from political controversy and accountability,” Cotton stated in a news release.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

“If the Chief Justice believes his political judgment is so exquisite, I invite him to resign, travel to Iowa, and get elected. I suspect voters will find his strange views no more compelling than do the principled justices on the Court.”

In his majority opinion, Roberts made the implausible claim the justices were not seeking a specific policy outcome.

Has Chief Justice John Roberts betrayed conservatives?

“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. ‘The wisdom’ of those decisions ‘is none of our concern,’” the chief justice wrote.

“We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action,” Roberts continued. “Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients.

“That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner.”

Since when is it the judicial branch’s role to gauge if the executive branch exercised its “discretion in a reasonable manner” in terms of ending an illegal program?

Obama is the one who did not exercise proper discretion when he made up DACA out of whole cloth.

Related:
Biden to Give Amnesty to Illegals? New Report Shows Dangerous Direction Dems Might Take with Border Crisis

Justice Clarence Thomas rightly argued in his dissent that the ruling was politically expedient, but not legally sound.

“Today’s decision must be recognized for what it is: an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision,” Thomas wrote. “Under the auspices of today’s decision, administrations can bind their successors by unlawfully adopting significant legal changes through Executive Branch agency memoranda.”

“Without grounding its position in either the [Administrative Procedure Act] or precedent, the majority declares that [the Department of Homeland Security] was required to overlook DACA’s obvious legal deficiencies and provide additional policy reasons and justifications before restoring the rule of law,” the justice added.

President Donald Trump promised his administration will continue the legal battle, given the Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower court on procedural grounds only.

“The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA, nothing was lost or won. They ‘punted’, much like in a football game (where hopefully they would stand for our great American Flag),” Trump tweeted on Friday. “We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly in order to properly fulfill the Supreme Court’s ruling & request of yesterday.”

“I have wanted to take care of DACA recipients better than the Do Nothing Democrats, but for two years they refused to negotiate – They have abandoned DACA. Based on the decision the Dems can’t make DACA citizens. They gained nothing!”

This is far from the first time Roberts has taken the side of liberals for apparently political reasons. In a May 30 decision, he was part of the majority — with the court’s four liberal judges — that ruled against California churches in a key religious freedom case. On June 15, he was part of the 6-3 decision that found the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex, covered gay and transgender cases as well.

And, of course, back in 2012, his was the deciding vote that saved Obamacare, former President Barack Obama’s signature health law.

Who knows? Maybe Thursday’s decision, in the end, will help Trump politically by not throwing the immediate future of DACA recipients in the election mix.

That really does not matter. What does matter is that Roberts and all the justices abide by the rule of law.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , ,
Share
Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




Conversation