Spotlight returns to Roberts on abortion
By Lydia Wheeler and Jessie Hellmann - 02/09/19 06:00 AM EST
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts disappointed conservatives Thursday by siding with the court’s liberal wing to block a Louisiana abortion law that’s almost identical to the Texas one he voted to uphold in 2016.
Roberts has become the fulcrum of the high court since swing voter Justice Anthony Kennedy retired in July, catapulting him into the spotlight as the deciding justice on hot button social issues.
With Thursday’s decision on the Louisiana law, which requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, Roberts has raised doubts among some conservatives about whether they have a reliable conservative majority after President Trump's successful appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
“It does give me a little pause,†said Travis Weber, vice president for policy at the Family Research Council, who questioned if Roberts’s vote for staying the abortion law was influenced by the politics of the debate.
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/429229-spotlight-returns-to-roberts-on-abortion