White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs continued the administration’s public spat with Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday by insisting that the President’s criticism of the Court during January’s State of the Union address should not have made the justice uncomfortable. Gibbs, who noted that Justice Sam Alito wasn’t exactly behaving himself during the address and cited polls showing how unpopular the Court is, also implied later on during the presser that the President would seek to nominate a judge who would make an “impact” on the Court, if given the opportunity.
The remark is significant because it’s widely believed that the president’s repeated criticism of the Citizen’s United decision — which, among other things, loosened restrictions on corporate campaign spending — is designed to lay the groundwork for the nomination of a far-left judge should a vacancy open up on the Court. As AP notes, it could also be that the president wants to score some populist points by attacking a target — Supreme Court justices — that can’t respond sharply to political attacks.
WATCH GIBBS TALK ABOUT THE NEXT APPOINTMENT
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