Roberts Says Supreme Court Decisions Follow Law Not Politics as Thomas Becomes Second-Longest Serving Justice

S. ” He insisted that unpopular court decisions are based solely on the law. “I think, at a very basic level, people think we’re making policy decisions, we’re saying we think this is how things should be, as opposed to what the law provides,” Roberts said.

He added that the court is simply not part of the political process. Roberts said one thing the court has to do is make decisions that are unpopular. He stated that criticism should focus on rulings rather than personal attacks and condemned the targeting of lower-court judges.

The remarks came about one week after the Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana. The court found the Louisiana congressional district was an unconstitutional gerrymander based on race. On the same day as Roberts spoke, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas became the second-longest serving justice in Supreme Court history on May 7, 2026.

Thomas, who is 77 years old, has a tenure that tops 34 years. Thomas overtook Justice Stephen J. Field, who was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln. The only justice with a longer tenure than Clarence Thomas is William O. Douglas. Thomas would overtake William O.

Douglas in 2028 if he remains on the court. W. Bush. Following the appointment of three conservative justices by Republican President Donald Trump, Thomas is now the most senior member of a supermajority.

The Supreme Court overturned abortion as a constitutional right. It ended affirmative action in college admissions and sharply limited the Voting Rights Act. Thomas wrote a 2022 opinion that found people generally have the right to carry a gun in public.

Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase died on May 7, 1873. Chase dissented in the Slaughter-House Cases. He was the lone dissenter in Bradwell v. Illinois.

Roberts did not reference any specific decisions in his remarks but acknowledged disagreement with some outcomes.