Chief Justice John Roberts’ Obamacare decision may have increased federal power, not limited it. And he may have undermined the Court’s legitimacy among the American people, not strengthened it. But if Roberts goal was to make the liberal commentariat happy, he succeeded with flying colors. Here is a sampling of leftist laudation for Roberts:

The Washington Post editorial board: “Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was statesmanlike in choosing to side with four more liberal justices in finding that the law’s most controversial provision, the mandate that individuals obtain health insurance, was a constitutional exercise of Congress’s power “to lay and collect taxes.” … n so doing, he also protected the court itself. It avoided playing the uncomfortable role of overturning a legislative solution four decades in the making, full of choices and tradeoffs among competing approaches and goals.”