Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said last week that President Obama’s actions during his first State of the Union address were "very troubling," noting that the atmosphere surrounding the annual event has "degenerated to a political pep rally," according to media reports.
During his speech, Obama openly criticized the high court for its decision regarding campaign finance regulations, an act that visibly seemed to bother Roberts and other Supreme Court justices attending the address.
While speaking to a crowd of law students from the University of Alabama, Roberts questioned whether justices should even attend the increasingly political televised speech.
"The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court—according the requirements of protocol—has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling," he said. "I’m not sure why we are there."
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs quickly responded, stating that the only thing troubling the administration was the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that will allow corporations to spend unlimited resources while advocating on behalf of candidates in elections, according to Fox News.
