John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, reflected on his career and work as a judge at the Tenth Circuit Bench-Bar Conference Fireside Chat on September 2, 2022. This podcast features excerpts from that discussion.
Incoming Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Jerome A. Holmes and outgoing Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich interviewed Justice Roberts for this program.
Justice Roberts began by responding to news media comments about the Supreme Court’s legitimacy after decisions during the 2021-22 Term changing established precedents. Those decisions included the Court’s landmark ruling overturning abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. __ (2022).
This podcast also features Justice Roberts’ comments about:
1) his role presiding over the Judicial Conference of the United States and serving as Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution;
2) his work in the early 1980’s as a law clerk for Justice William Rehnquist, including law clerks’ basketball games in that era with Justice Byron White;
3) his work in private practice and the U.S. Solicitor General’s office as an appellate specialist before becoming a judge;
4) why he enjoys the job as Supreme Court Chief Justice, and his explanation of the behind-the-scenes collegiality which exists among the current justices;
5) how he seeks to write court decisions that are clear for both lawyers and non-lawyers; and
6) how he deals with welcoming new justices to the Court and its decision making process, and with the stress of deciding complex cases.