At this critical juncture in American history, the Chief Justice of the United States seemingly leads a group of 4 colleagues in halting vital efforts to make our country more prosperous, healthier and democratic. With 4 liberal justices consistently in dissent, he has led the others in some of the most disgusting, ideologically driven, overtly partisan decisions the Supreme Court has ever made. Who could have thought that this man, once a leading progressive in our country, could damage our country in this way?
Wait a second…John Roberts has never been a progressive. So who the heck am I talking about?
This is the story of Charles Evans Hughes– the Chief Justice who blocked so much of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal with his deciding vote, then changed sides just in time to open the door to so many reforms in the United States. It is, in many aspects, a story for our time: a well-timed look into the last time the Supreme Court actively defied the will of the President and the people in its decisions. It is also the story of a bona fide progressive - ahead of the curve on many different issues - whose beliefs were increasingly obsolete in a modern world.