Obama Hasn't Spoken With Justice Roberts Since SOTU: Gibbs

President Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts have not spoken since the president called out the Supreme Court during his State of the Union address, at least as far as Robert Gibbs is aware, the White House spokesman said on Thursday.

But the administration showed no willingness to back off its criticism of the Court -- which has escalated in recent days -- for its decision allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts on elections. And while Roberts deemed the president's SOTU remarks "very troubling," Gibbs on Thursday called it "perfectly acceptable."

"I don't know why they feel uncomfortable," Gibbs said. "They made the decision. I guess I don't understand the criticism of feeling uncomfortable. The president disagreed and polls showed 80 percent of the country disagrees with that decision. The president would have said that in that room if they had been sitting in that row, or not been there at all. The president just disagrees, quite frankly, with the decision that they made."

That Obama criticized the Court's ruling in the Citizens United case was not the only thing that Robert's found troubling. The Chief Justice also questioned the purpose of Court members attending the State of the Union address, calling the forums political rallies that don't allow the Justices to respond.

"If I'm not mistaken, many of you showed footage of Justice Alito responding to it," Gibbs said of the latter criticism,

As for the former, the press secretary said: "I think the president believes that the State of the Union is an important venue to lay out his agenda for the year and to update the American people on the work that the Congress and the president do."

Comments

[elcerritan]

08:45 PM on 03/15/2010

Roberts is acting like a petulant baby (just like the rest of the Republican­s, so no surprise there, really). If he wants an example of "troubling­" behavior, he just needs to look in the mirror.

[WorkhelpWorkhelp]

11:44 PM on 03/13/2010

Roberts belongs in jail.

[hernan1333]

11:09 PM on 03/13/2010

good... isn't roberts the great legal scholar who couldn't even administer a simple presidentl­al oath...

[been2there]

10:15 PM on 03/13/2010

President Obama's real job is taking up enough of his time; why should he waste any on Roberts?

[Indoboy7]

07:44 PM on 03/13/2010

The country is finally -slowy, but eer so surely seeing what manysaw at Mr. Robert's confirmati­on hearings:.­The man lied thru his teeth....h­e has been beholden t corporate interests since his lawschool dayis SC job was the ultimate payoff for getting GW horseshoe'­s intio the WHouse...T­hat's how things work for people in high places...

[TwoCentsIn]

07:32 PM on 03/13/2010

The scene was set: Roberts was incensed about Obama's failure to vote for his confirmati­on.
Roberts decides to kill two birds with one stone:

(1) he will prove his superior knowledge of English grammar by transposin­g the order of verb and adverb in the historic oath, and (2) he will trip up Obama up by altering the natural cadence of the oath-takin­g.

Result: Roberts, who sought to embarrass the President, succeeded in embarrassi­ng himself. The swearing-i­n ceremony had to be repeated in private chambers for the first time in the nation's history.

[DirectProf]

03:11 PM on 03/13/2010

Why would he? The chief justice is an intellectu­al light-weig­ht, and as his recent comments show, has the skin thickness of a 90 year old woman who tanned all her life.

[rockinroll]

11:31 AM on 03/13/2010

The Supreme Court INSTALLED Bush as Pres. These guys made it Political. Now Robert's has seen fit to turn our Voting over to Corporatio­n's. I wouldn't talk to him either as he's shown what he is for. the most amazing thing is that we allowed this to happen. Again - Oy Vey!!

[Moliere]

04:11 PM on 03/13/2010

Absolutely right!

[helonias]

11:13 AM on 03/13/2010

Neither have I

[mcbox]

02:44 AM on 03/13/2010

I suppose things were better when Scalia was out duck hunting with Dead eye Dick Cheney regularly.

[pecosdog]

11:30 AM on 03/13/2010

I sure hope they go hunting together often and that Cheney has a few beers more than he usually does on these "hunts".

[ThePhilosopher]

02:43 AM on 03/13/2010

Do presidents normally talk with Supreme Court justices?

[lboucher]

02:10 AM on 03/13/2010

The picture is before bama made a fool of himself!

[Littlewords]

10:36 AM on 03/13/2010

I think you mean this picture is after Roberts twice made a f00l of himself. First with his inability to correctly deliver the simple oath for the office of the president on inaugurati­on day and then second by his contrived ram rod through SCOTUS ruling by 5 to 4 on this case when Sandra Day O'Conner stepped down (who has told the world that Roberts approached her prior to her stepping down to side with him to create a 5:4 majority on this ruling, which she refused to do) thus exposing this has both planned and contrived by Roberts and his activist allies on the bench just waiting to sneak by with a 5:4 passage.

I think that is what you meant the picture is after. You are welcome for the correction­, tr0ll.

[isee61]

11:42 PM on 03/12/2010

Big deal and who cares?

[RealisticallyOptimist]

11:20 PM on 03/12/2010

JustMe, what disrespect are you talking about? You contradict­ed yourself!

[CountingCoup]

11:03 PM on 03/12/2010

Poor justice Roberts got his feelings hurt? He swore in as a servant to our countries elite legal system, not to a be a partisan activist judge... He made his own bed and deserves his drop in popularity­.

[Moliere]

04:11 PM on 03/13/2010

absolutely