Chief Justice John Roberts votes his Catholic conscience on Health Care bill -- One of six Catholics on court and a true lover of Ireland
Posted on Friday, June 29, 2012 at 08:26 AM
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| Chief Justice John Roberts with President Obama |
Chief Justice John Roberts has become the hero, or villain, of the hour depending on your politics on the Supreme Court decision.
Roberts voted with the liberal side, throwing the left and right into chaos as they pondered this new reality in a case where most believed a 5-4 majority was dependent on Judge Kennedy not Roberts.
I am not totally surprised. I met Roberts when he came to our inaugural Legal 100 event for Irish America Magazine, held at the Irish Embassy a few years back. I found him far form being the right wing ideologue so many have painted him.
He and his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, are frequent visitors to Ireland where they have a holiday home in the Shannon area.
They are a very pleasant couple, very little airs or graces and clearly not overly impressed with their own importance.
Jane Sullivan is a major powerhouse in her own right, a daughter of Irish immigrants who long before her husband had gained his prominent position had been on of DC’s top attorneys.
Roberts is very fond of Ireland and has taught courses there. Indeed, much of my conversation with him was about finding a thatcher for the roof in the Irish cottage, which was in need of repair.
Roberts is one of six Catholics on the Supreme Court, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alioto and Sonia Sotamayor are the others.
How much his Catholic fate influences him or indeed how it affects all the other Supreme Court Catholics will never be known.
There was a time when the idea of six Catholics on the Supreme Court was a pipe dream and a complete fantasy.
No more. The most important laws in the land are now being shaped by leading Catholics from liberals like Sotamayor to conservatives like Scalia.
It is quite a turn in terms of history and Roberts decision to side with the four liberal justices will be analyzed form pillar to post.
We will never know why but clearly like a good Catholic he voted his conscience on this issue.
88 comments
staker42 | Jun 30, 2012, 08:07 AM EDT
What a bunch of poppycock to suggest that Roberts voted his catholic conscience. I hope he would decide matters based on there constitutionality. Having said that we don't know the full impact of this bill yet. It's cost will be unfunded there will be a two tier health system if the national health systems of Ireland and England are so great why do the best doctors come to this country. Finally nobody has asked how the providers of healthcare feel. My prediction we will have a huge doctor shortage and then the people that this act is supposed to help will be totally left out.
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EamonnDublin | Jun 30, 2012, 04:57 AM EDT
"McNamara31" - Yes, I do watch Fox in Dublin. I watch it in order to get a different viewpoint to the others, who, in the main, eulogise Obama and mock everybody else. I have a mind of my own and at the end of the day I make my own mind up. I may be right, I may be wrong, but its my own view having listened to other views also. It is my own opinion that Obama is a great campaigner but an awful president. As for your statement that Obama's "predecessor sank (the USA) into financial ruin", surely you must be aware that Obama has DOUBLED the national debt in his three and a half years in power - and that Obama has in fact borrowed more than twice as much in that time than ALL of the previous presidents of the USA COMBINED. Some damn president! Get rid of him, before he gets rid of you, Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
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KweenOHearts | Jun 30, 2012, 01:48 AM EDT
What happens when the insurance for all doesn't cover all? We will find out soon enough. In a country already drowning in debt, the imposition of this boondogle is estimated to cost an additional $875 Billion Dlls. --- But no problem there, it will be partially covered by extracting $500 Billion Dlls. from Medicare. I'm sure the elderly won't complain... they will be appropriately 'comforted' by the long programmed 'death panels'. --- It has been reported that in Britain 29% of the elderly are being euthanized because the government health system does not consider their life as valuable, and the system is broke anyway. If obamacare is implemented in the US... the old folks are sure to be looking at enjoying similar 'benefits'.
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BrianO | Jun 30, 2012, 12:37 AM EDT
Seano, I live in massachusetts so have already seen increased costs and the same ratio of non insured, with the addition of the government penalizing people for not being insured. I always like when government kicks a man when he's down,and our part time governor has managed to run through the rainy day fund as well. Ephraim what has happened to you, not even worth responding, juvenile.
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EphraimKibbey | Jun 29, 2012, 11:28 PM EDT
@McNamara31 - You are 100% correct about educating the public and Obama's address Thursday after the announcement was a good start. The actual pieces of the bill (except the mandate) poll at 70 to 80% favorable even with republicans but until today, the bill itself was polling 60 to 70% unfavorable because of all the misinformation being generated by those against it. They are only against it because it is a sign of Obama's success as the bill is identical to Romneycare which was based on a GOP bill offered in opposition to Clinton's attempt at universal health care in the ninties. Interestingly, after being declared constitutional and Obama's one overview of what the bill includes, the polls today are 46% favorable to 46% unfavorable in spite of all the lies about it coming from the GOP yesterday and today. Could it be that attaining constitutionality has made people take a second look? Could it be that if the GOP were lying about it being unconstitutional maybe they were lying about how horrible it was?
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Nicoletta | Jun 29, 2012, 10:25 PM EDT
The Pope has said that universal healthcare should be available to all regardless of wealth. Having been raised with this principle in the UK (no bills, no insurance needed, wonderful care and best of all - peace of mind) and now living in the US the system here seems totally loony. The only winners seem to be the insurance and pharma companies who are totally screwing Joe Public. They need to scrap the whole system, make the insurance companies redundant, ban advertising of medicines, nationalize health care but not fund abortions and contraceptives.
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McNamara31 | Jun 29, 2012, 09:26 PM EDT
EamonnDublin Are you by chance watching FOX in Dublin; because if you go by the facts, Obama has done more to right the wrongs and injustices in the country than the eight years of his GOP predecessor who sunk this country into financial ruin. And if you think Romney and the far right is the answer to America's problems' that would be the same as giving Gordon Gecko the keys to bank.
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seanomelb | Jun 29, 2012, 08:23 PM EDT
Time will tell Briano and living in a country with mandated healthcare we would not swap it for your inadequate system. At the end of the day I bet I'll be the one to say to you "I told you so"
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brianmack | Jun 29, 2012, 07:54 PM EDT
Good analysis. I think you could be 100% correct. In any case, I'm for Obamacare and
pleased with the decision.
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BrianO | Jun 29, 2012, 07:31 PM EDT
seano, don't be so sure that more will be insured, I would be willing to bet that more will go uninsured, and many down on their luck will be fined/taxed/mandated/stolenfrom/duesed/ you pick your word as words don't seem to matter these days. Politics and politicians are about power, the more restraint on their power the better.
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BrianO | Jun 29, 2012, 07:12 PM EDT
What made America different? Why did the desperate risk all for the opportunity America had to offer. The forest my friends of the opposition fail to see, blinded by the healthcare tree is that the executive branch is now all powerful. This is fine when your side is in charge, or someone is in charge who loves the country. The danger is when some one in the future gains the presidency with the new mandated powers, he cannot be restrained by the constitution. The system was set up to limit the power of a Tyrant and now the system has been beaten. When the day comes and an American hitler rises thru the ranks the constitution no longer will protect the citizens. I fear this much more than figuring out how to help someone buy a product.
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seanomelb | Jun 29, 2012, 07:01 PM EDT
Call it a tax,surcharge,levy or mandate or anything you like at the end of the day more Americans will have health cover.No longer will people have to sell their homes or die because of health costs or have insurance withdrawn at a whim by the "dollar over death" private companies. Humanism triumphed over greed at the High court yesterday. The GOP may weep and gnash their false teeth(like their false healthcare promises)but at the end of the day the poor and the middle class won.
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CelticQueenUSA | Jun 29, 2012, 06:31 PM EDT
I am so pleased that our Justice Department realizes that Obamacare is not evil but quite constitutionally correct for all. Finally the intelligent ones know who is for the good of America. Go President Obama!!
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EamonnDublin | Jun 29, 2012, 06:03 PM EDT
Chief Justice Roberts is very obviously not unintelligent. He has a very shrewd, logical brain. It is my own belief that he has purposely driven a stake into the heart of Obama and his team and has gone a long way towards ensuring Obama's defeat in November. In the full knowledge that a President Romney will repeal the Healthcare bill, Chief Justice Roberts has ensured two major things - firstly the defeat of Obama and, secondly, that the Healthcare folly will never get off the ground. Congratulations to a very clever and intelligent man. Of course, Obamarama is too busy campaigning to have a clue what's going on. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.
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