David Daley Maybe John Roberts is getting uneasy that the American people are onto him. “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don't think is an accurate understanding of what we do,” he told a conference of lawyers and judges in Pennsylvania. “We're not simply part of the political process.” It was certainly an interesting week for the chief justice to express his befuddlement that so many Americans see Supreme Court justices as politicians wearing red and blue robes.