By David Brody
In an exclusive interview with CBN News, Vice President Mike Pence boldly called out Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts by name for disappointing conservatives.
WATCH:
“We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States but Chief Justice Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives,” Pence told CBN’s David Brody in Florida on Wednesday. The response came after a question about whether Roberts has let down conservatives over the years. The vice president pointed to the key decision in 2012 by Roberts to uphold Obamacare and his recent ruling siding with liberals in which they upheld a limit to the number of people who can attend church services in Nevada during COVID-19.
“I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are reminders of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court,” the vice president said.
Vice President Pence also mentioned a case in Louisiana in which the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana pro-life law that said doctors from abortion clinics would have to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. Once again, Roberts sided with the four liberals on the court.
“That’s a very modest restriction on abortion providers,” Pence tells CBN News. “But a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable. I think it’s been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020.”
Brody and Pence spoke in Largo, Florida Wednesday as part of a full day with the vice president aboard Air Force Two. Catch the full story on Thursday’s The 700 Club. Check local listings.
Below is a transcription of the exchange between David Brody and Vice President Pence.
David Brody: “Are you scratching your head a little bit on John Roberts? I mean, we’re not going to call him David Souter at this point, but conservatives have had a track record of having some problems with Supreme Court justices who thought we’re going to be a reliable vote. Or, at least when I say a reliable vote I’m just talking about adhering to conservative principles.
Vice President Pence: “Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States. But Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives, whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions all the way through Calvary Chapel. It’s a reminder and I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are reminders of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court. We remember the issue back in 2016, which I believe loomed large in voters’ decisions between Hillary Clinton and the man who would become president of the United States. And some people thought that it wouldn’t be as big an issue these days. But I think that’s all changed. The recent decision, and again, a narrow Supreme Court decision striking down a Louisiana pro-life law that only said that doctors working in abortion clinics would have to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. That’s a very modest restriction on abortion providers. But a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable. I think it’s been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020. And that’s why President Trump announced that he’s going to publish another list of men and women from which he will draw any future appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States. He did that in 2016. He kept his word. He’s going to do that in the fall of 2020. And in the next four years, he’ll keep his word and appoint more principled conservatives to our courts.”