"Unsettling": Chief Justice John Roberts On Changing Supreme Court

For Chief Justice John Roberts, the arrival of a new Supreme Court justice is "to some extent .... unsettling."

Justice Roberts, a relative newcomer himself, with just four years on the court, weighs in on changes at the court -- in this case David Souter's departure and Sonia Sotomayor's appointment -- and what it means to the social and collegial fabric of the institution in the upcoming C-SPAN series "The Supreme Court: Home to America's Highest Court".

Said Roberts, in an excerpt from the series:

To some extent, it's unsettling. You quickly get to view the court as ... composed of these members, and it becomes kind of hard to think of it as involving anyone else. I suspect it's like people look at their families.

The series is set to air Oct. 4, and features original interviews with nine of the living and current Supreme Court Justices, according to C-SPAN.

A promotional clip for the series includes interviews with Justices Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Both Roberts and Thomas compare the court to something like a family.

As "unsettling" as the recent changes to the court may be to Roberts, he and the sitting justices might do well to brace for even more change. There is speculation that Justice John Paul Stevens may be planning to retire.

The Washington Post has more about the justices' comments.

Watch the clip:

Comments

[Liberal Angel]

What's unsettling is the conservative justices blatant efforts to swing the country away from actual justice. Robert's has gutted the meaning of justice. None of those people think beyond their own bias and prejudice. They are all disgraces.

[givesflack]

It's unsettling that conservative judges were chosen basically on the merits of being strict constitutionalists. Meaning strict obstructionist to any new rules or progress in this country and by no means any new form of civil or equal right amendments to the law.

[escriva]

Judge Roberts may find her personal life unsettling. Her first marriage was a flop, then she lived with some guy until he left her for another woman, now they say she is shacking with someone who remains "out of the public eye and unnamed." Sounds somewhat irresponsible. I'm sure he's thinking , "now all those men can't be wrong." Sure he's unsettled. Jezebel will soon be sitting on the Supreme Court.

[treat2day]

Alito and Thomas would not have been unsettling to his ideology. I don’t think his choice of the word is innocent as a rational person would think. Nothing about Obama choices to the right has had any rational responses.

I have watched him over the past few years carefully crafting the court to deregulate what powers government has over corporations. Remember you heard this from me.

[Halfwit]

I can't wait to watch this on C-Span. It looks really fascinating once you get past the misleading headline.

[imfedup]

Enough of these people trying to "empathize" with Roberts trying to adapt to a new colleague. It was totally unprofessional of him to say it this way. If I were joining a new team of any kind, much less one as high profile as the SCOTUS, I would be insensed to have the leader of my team say he found my joining the team "unsettling." More Repub code, folks. First a niggra President, and now a female Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. What horror will be next?

[cminca]

Can we just-please-get Cheney to invite Roberts, Scalia, Thomas and Alito hunting?

[espressobeans]

Good thing he is insulated from many of the truly unsettling things the rest of us have to cope with.

[susankhbelen]

unsettling for some
Comforting for others.

Kinda the same thing as my neighbors' garage sale---
Their junk is my treasure and vice versa.

[osusana]

I suggest that Justice Roberts get over it, get to work, and start NOW learning the proper way to administer the oath of office to the President of the United States, so that he can make the most of the "do-over" opportunity he will have on January 20, 2013, when he again swears in Barack Obama as President of the United States. Don't embarrass yourself again, sir. One of your clerks could have done it much better.

[noradunn]

No, Justice Roberts, that's not how people look at their families. My brother just got married. His wife is a welcome member of our family, and unsettled no one. But, oh yeah, she's not a Puerto Rican and she's not from The Bronx. I get it.

[DredLockRasta]

Unsettling as in the way certain country clubs had to change their membership policy after civil rights legislation passed.

[MidnightRambler]

Roberts if you don't like it leave.

[apolloguide]

Such trenchant observations from one whose limited secularly derived academic skills left him without the ability to properly deliver the oath of office to Barack Obama. In the life the rest of us live there are no second chances as afforded Republican hacks like Roberts.

His "family" ? Do they all eat brown bag lunches prepared by their wives club ? Do they all have to say Grace together or just the solid six ?

[4evryoung]

Change=Unsettling.

That's the problem with right wing conservatives.

[monk2000]

Change is difficult for everyone... he's a loser BUT this quote is rather harmless.. if only he was also.