Signs of Supreme Court activism worry Reagan administration lawyers

[steve2470]

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-court-activism-20120401,0,6035000.story

WASHINGTON — When the incoming Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. came before the Senate for confirmation seven years ago, President Reagan's solicitor general gave him a warm endorsement as a "careful, modest" judge.

"He's not a man on a mission," Harvard Law professor Charles Fried testified, adding that Roberts was not likely "to embark on constitutional adventures."

But two years ago, the Roberts-led Supreme Court struck down the federal and state laws that for a century had barred corporations and unions from pouring money into election campaigns.

And last week, the court's conservatives, including Roberts, suggested they may well strike down President Obama's healthcare law as unconstitutional. If so, it would be the first time since 1936 that the Supreme Court voided a major federal regulatory law.

[aquart]

1. Roberts lied. The Republicans lied to get him in.

And I'm trying to think of the last time the word "Harvard" earned my respect.