John Roberts whines about Americans viewing Supreme Court as 'political actors': report

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts whined about how Americans view his court during a recent speaking appearance, according to a new report.

NBC News reported on Wednesday that Roberts decried how little Americans know about the Supreme Court's functions and how they view the court as "truly political actors." He also added that the court takes great effort to "figure out what the Constitution means," even though he acknowledged that some of the court's decisions are "unpopular," the report added.

Roberts made the comments at a conference of lawyers in Hershey, Pennsylvania, according to the report.

“I think at a very basic level, people think we’re making policy decisions, [that] we’re saying we think this is what things should be as opposed to this is what the law provides,” Roberts said. “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do. I would say that’s the main difficulty.”

Roberts also criticized Americans who think the court has become part of the political process.

“We’re not simply part of the political process, and there’s a reason for that, and I’m not sure people grasp that as much as is appropriate,” Roberts said.