Former Thomas clerk: Roberts ‘complicit’ in Supreme Court ‘being used as a partisan tool’ against Trump

Carrie Severino, president of the conservative group Judicial Crisis Network, told Fox News on Friday that Chief Justice John Roberts is “complicit” in the Supreme Court “being used as a partisan tool” to undermine the Trump administration.

“What we are starting to see is a pattern of the chief justice unfortunately just being complicit and the court being used as a partisan tool to try to delay and undermine this president’s administration in their actions,” Severino, a former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, said on “Fox & Friends.”

Her remarks came a day after Roberts sided with the Supreme Court’s liberal wing in a 5-4 decision blocking President Trump’s attempt to end legal protections for “Dreamers” under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which prevents undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children from being deported.

“This case couldn’t have been easier,” Severino said. “We’ve got DACA, which is illegal. The president said we’re not going to continue a policy that’s already illegal.”

Conservatives have been furious over the DACA ruling and one on LGBT rights that went against the Trump administration. In the LGBT rights case, Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Trump in 2017, sided with the liberal wing as well.

Trump on Thursday tweeted that the rulings were “shotgun blasts into the face” of Republicans and conservatives.

These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020

Roberts has drawn the ire of conservatives before, particularly when he was part of a favorable ruling for the Obama administration in 2012 that upheld the individual mandate for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare.

Roberts was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005. The Senate confirmed him in a 78-22 vote.

Severino clerked for Thomas in 2004.