I am willing to bet my bottom dollar that if, hypothetically, George W. Bush criticized the Supreme Court Justices to their faces over a ruling that they made–and failed to explain that ruling properly in the process–he would have been excoriated by the pundit class. There is no reason, therefore, why Barack Obama should have been spared criticism by pundits, even though he played the role of George W. Bush in my hypothetical.
Fortunately, there has been pushback. Even if most pundits were unwilling to take on the White House over this issue, Chief Justice Roberts has decided to speak out. May his example encourage others, and discourage further White House bullying of the Supreme Court on this and other issues.
