Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts an “extraordinary lawyer” but said that he “violated his oath” in twice voting to uphold the constitutionality of President Obama’s health care law.
“John Roberts is someone I’ve known 20 years — he is a friend; John and I were both law clerks for Chief Justice [William] Rehnquist,” Mr. Cruz said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Asked if he was disappointed in him, Mr. Cruz said, “I’m very disappointed.”
“He is an extraordinary lawyer,” said Mr. Cruz, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate. “When I was litigating in front of the court, there was no lawyer I more tried to emulate than John Roberts, because he was calm, he was steady and matter-of-fact, he persuaded the judges with facts.”
Mr. Roberts wrote the 6-3 majority opinion upholding health insurance subsidies under Obamacare last week, but was among the four dissenting judges in the 5-4 ruling affirming the legality of same-sex marriage nationwide.
In 2012, he wrote the 5-4 majority opinion upholding the constitutionality of the law based on Congress’s taxing powers.
“The decisions last week [on] Obamacare and three years ago [on] Obamacare — he violated his oath, he changed the law, and he’s a good enough lawyer — he knows he did that,” Mr. Cruz said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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