U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) criticized conservative Chief Justice John Roberts for remarks he made at a judicial conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania this week.
Roberts said of the Supreme Court: “I think at a very basic level, people think we’re making policy decisions, [that] we’re saying we think this is what things should be, as opposed to this is what the law provides.”
He added, “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do. I would say that’s the main difficulty.”
Whitehouse responded on social media: “I guess it’s just an amazing coincidence that basically every decision related to politics helps Republicans, and every decision related to regulation helps fossil fuel polluters.”
I guess it’s just an amazing coincidence that basically every decision related to politics helps Republicans, and every decision related to regulation helps fossil fuel polluters.https://t.co/jXwR0YTs0W
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 7, 2026
In April, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of fossil fuel companies (Chevron, ExxonMobil) regarding coastal erosion lawsuits in Louisiana, allowing them to move litigation from state to federal courts, venues they see as more favorable to their arguments.
[Note: It wasn’t just the conservatives on the bench who voted in favor of the oil industry: the justices unanimously agreed (8-0) on the decision, which impacts 42 lawsuits seeking billions for coastal restoration.]
During the first year of the second Trump administration, the Supreme Court — which has six conservative justices outnumbering the three liberal justices — heavily favored the Trump administration in its decisions. According to Court Accountability, among the 23 rulings and temporary orders made in 2025 related to the administration’s actions, “Trump had a 90 percent win rate.”
[NOTE: According to Gallup analysis, when asked about how the Supreme Court is doing its job, 42% of Americans approve, a near record low, and 52% disapprove.]
Responding to an op-ed addressing the perception of Supreme Court bias, Whitehouse wrote: “Bias and discrimination can be proved in court by evidence of a pattern of outcomes, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t look at the Supreme Court’s ‘Republicans-and-fossil-fuel-always-win’ pattern of outcomes.”
Bingo.
Bias and discrimination can be proved in court by evidence of a pattern of outcomes, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t look at the Supreme Court’s ‘Republicans-and-fossil-fuel-always-win’ pattern of outcomes. https://t.co/BytzCTTcit
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 7, 2026