If the Supreme Court held an end-of-term awards ceremony, the Old College Try Prize for great effort with zero success would go to Chief Justice John Roberts for his plaintive concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Chief Justice Roberts attempted to find a middle ground on abortion, upholding the state of Mississippi’s prohibition after 15 weeks, while declining to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) in total. But he drew no support from anyone, including all-or-nothing pro-choice advocates and the U.S. Solicitor General, when Dobbs was argued on Dec. 1.
