DIVIDED WE FALL

New Leak Exposes SCOTUS Rift Over Trump Immunity Case

In a behind-the-scenes look at Donald Trump’s immunity victory, CNN revealed that Chief Justice John Roberts has all but abandoned the pretense of consensus.

Taking an extreme stance on presidential immunity from the start, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts made no move to negotiate with his more liberal colleagues on the Trump case, according to a new report from CNN. The network reported Tuesday that Roberts didn’t even attempt to persuade the three liberals on the bench to join the majority, all but abandoning the principle of compromise that has guided the high court on similar cases in the past. Instead, he “believed he could persuade people to look beyond Trump,” as CNN put it. Roberts, 69 years old and entering his 20th term as a justice, has become “more aggressive” in his approach to shaping the court, according to the network. He declined to respond to questions about his most recent term and the Trump case. CNN’s report was published a day after it revealed months of fierce disagreements between the justices over its abortion decisions, a leak it framed as part of a forthcoming series.