ABC journalists on Monday breathlessly broke in with live reaction to the Supreme Court striking down a Louisiana law restricting abortion. The pivotal fifth vote was provided by John Roberts who sided with the Court’s liberals. Of course, this mean that now Roberts “cares a great deal” about being apolitical. ABC also repeated Planned Parenthood talking points about the Court and 2020.
ABC contributor Kate Show sympathized, “Roberts cares a great deal about the Court appearing to operate outside of politics, and I think for the Court to change course, to basically look at the exact law it struck down four years ago, but here a differently constituted Supreme Court to uphold that law, would be just to send the message the court is no more than politicians in robes.”
As if many Americans don’t already think that. But this was a liberal decision. Back in the summer of 2005, ABC and CBS saw Roberts as too political and too conservative. MRC Research Director Rich Noyes wrote at the time:
On the July 26, 2005 World News Tonight, one week after President Bush picked John Roberts to replace Justice O’Connor, ABC correspondent (and future Obama spokeswoman) Linda Douglass highlighted Democratic demands for additional documents: “Democrats want Roberts’ more recent memos when he was crafting legal opinions for the first Bush administration. Republicans complain the Democrats are simply searching for reasons to oppose him.”
The August 4, 2005 CBS Evening News amplified the Left’s criticisms of Roberts, including a soundbite from “Alliance for Justice” chief Nan Aron, who hysterically claimed material released up to that point “raises red flags about his commitment to civil rights, women’s rights, laws that have been in place for decades.”
On Monday, reporter Cecilia Vega parroted Planned Parenthood talking points about abortion:
Planned Parenthood has called this the election that is a life or death one when it comes to this issue. Of course, they have sided in their endorsement with Joe Biden coming up, but the polling on this has been pretty consistent. 61 percent say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Terry Moran lectured, “The Supreme Court saying here, just because one president picks a different justice doesn't mean the law automatically changes.” Back in 2012, Moran hailed “statesman” Roberts for “saving” ObamaCare.
A partial transcript of the breaking news segment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
ABC breaking news
6/29/2020
10:20TERRY MORAN: The Supreme Court saying here, just because one president picks a different justice doesn't mean the law automatically changes.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's bring in Professor Kate Shaw, and let's talk about the Chief Justice's decision right there. He voted to uphold the Texas law, but says precedent is precedent.
KATE SHAW: That's right, George. Roberts cares a great deal about the court appearing to operate outside of politics, and I think for the Court to change course, to basically look at the exact law it struck down four years ago, but here a differently constituted Supreme Court to uphold that law, would be just to send the message the court is no more than politicians in robes.
...
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Cecilia Vega at the White House, President Trump and his conservative supporters have been proud of his choices for the Supreme Court. This will be one more reason to be unhappy with chief justice Roberts.
CECILIA VEGA: And a number of them in the last few days, George, including DACA about a week or so ago. but the campaign has been touting the president's pro-life agenda. This has been a key battleground in the race for 2020. You'll remember back in 2016, the president promised and pledged to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who would automatically overturn roe V. Wade. We are far from looking at that today, but they are touting his appointments to conservative judges, to various benches around the country. This is a big push for them, and, frankly, Planned Parenthood has called this the election that is a life or death one when it comes to this issue. Of course, they have sided in their endorsement with Joe Biden coming up, but the polling on this has been pretty consistent. 61 percent say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
