Appearance
John Roberts
John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, was born in Buffalo, New York, January 27, 1955. He married Jane Sullivan in 1996 and they have two children - Josephine and Jack. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1976 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979. He served as a law clerk for Judge Henry J. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1979-1980, and as a law clerk for then-Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1980 Term. He served as a Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States from 1981-1982, Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, White House Counsel's Office from 1982-1986, and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General from 1989-1993. From 1986-1989 and 1993-2003, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. He served as a Judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2003-2005. Nominated as Chief Justice of the United States by President George W. Bush, he assumed that office on September 29, 2005.
Which opinion granted immunity?
The opinion was 'Trump v. United States', decided July 1, 2024, in which the Supreme Court held that a president has absolute immunity for actions within his "core constitutional powers" and presumptive immunity for other official acts.
See the official Supreme Court opinion: Trump v. United States (PDF)
The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice John Roberts. It established:
- absolute immunity for a president's exercise of core constitutional powers
- presumptive immunity for other official acts
- no immunity for unofficial acts
The decision was 6-3. The justices in the majority were:
| Voted to grant immunity (majority) | Voted against (dissent) |
|---|---|
| John Roberts (author) | Sonia Sotomayor |
| Clarence Thomas | Elena Kagan |
| Samuel Alito | Ketanji Brown Jackson |
| Neil Gorsuch | |
| Brett Kavanaugh | |
| Amy Coney Barrett |