Make 'em bobble!

The Annotated Bobblehead Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

"Congress' decision to proceed indirectly does not reduce the deference given to Congress in the area of military affairs." Rumsfeld v. FAIR, Inc., 547 U.S. 47 (2006).

"But cars and broccoli are no more purchased for their 'own sake' than health insurance." NFIB v. Sebelius, 132 S.Ct. 2566, 2591 (2012).

"Here the Government's argument for uniformity is different; it rests not so much on the particular statutory program at issue as on slippery -slope concerns . . . ." Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal, 546 U.S. 418 (2006).

"Adjectives typically reflect the meaning of corresponding nouns, but not always. Sometimes they acquire distinct meanings of their own. The noun 'crab' refers variously to a crustacean and a type of apple, while the related adjective 'crabbed' can refer to handwriting that is 'difficult to read' . . . ." FCC v. AT&T, 562 U.S. 397 (2011).

"Had Congress meant to limit tax credits to State Exchanges, it . . . would not have used such a winding path of connect-the-dots provisions . . . ." King v. Burwell, 135 S.Ct. 2480 (2015) ; see also AID v. Alliance for Open Society, 133 S.Ct. 2321 (2013) ("[W ]e cannot improve upon what Justice Jackson wrote for the Court 70 years ago: 'If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.'").

John G. Roberts, Jr., 2005-

Born in Buffalo, New York, John Roberts grew up in northern Indiana. He was a standout student and athlete who attended and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, with a degree in history, after three years. At Harvard Law School he was a managing editor of the Harvard Law Review, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1979. After graduation, Roberts clerked for Judge Henry Friendly on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and then, in 1980-81, for William Rehnquist on the Supreme Court. Subsequently Roberts worked as Special Assistant to U.S. Attorney General William Smith. He was Deputy Solicitor General from 1989 to 1993, before returning to private practice. In 2003, Roberts was re-nominated and confirmed to sit on the influential D.C. circuit. In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Roberts to the Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. However, when Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away, Bush re-nominated Roberts for the position of Chief Justice. Roberts was confirmed by a vote of 78-22.