commentary The chief justice has declared that the Court is not political. The facts — and his own history — say otherwise Published May 9, 2026 6:45AM (EDT) Justice John Roberts and a protest in front of the Supreme Court building (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Maybe John Roberts is getting uneasy that the American people are onto him. “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do,” he told a conference of lawyers and judges in Pennsylvania. “We’re not simply part of the political process.” It was certainly an interesting week for the chief justice to express his befuddlement that so many Americans see Supreme Court justices as politicians wearing red and blue robes. For one thing, the rest of the conservative supermajority was off message. Justice Neil Gorsuch was busy telling right-wing podcaster Megyn Kelly that young conservatives need to have the conviction to live their values.…