What is a Robertsism? It’s a term I like to use to describe memorable quotes from Chief Justice John Roberts that infuriate the right and leave one wondering whether Roberts really believes what he is saying. For example, during Trump’s first term, Roberts famously rebuked the president for calling out “Obama judges” as political actors. Roberts insisted that federal judges were nonpolitical: “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” Similarly, during the oral arguments in the vital case of Trump v. Barbara in April, he uttered another one: “It’s a new world, but it’s the same Constitution.”
