Chief Justice John Roberts’ Gay Cousin to Attend SCOTUS Oral Arguments

In a surprise wrinkle that will no doubt cause angst and flying spittle in Christofascist circles - Bryan Fischer and Tony Perkins will be beside themselves claiming bias although they never complain about Antonin Scalia's glaring bias and prejudice - Chief Justice John Roberts has a gay cousin.  Moreover, she will be attending the oral arguments in the cases of United States v. Windsor  (Docket 12-307), which challenges the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”), and Hollingsworth v. Perry (Docket 12-144), which challenges the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8.  Of course, no one knows how Roberts will come down on gay marriage - although some see him as not wanting to be seen by posterity as an equivalent to Supreme Court justices that upheld slaver in the 1800's - it is interesting that he may have a personal stake in these cases.  Here are highlights from Politico:

An openly gay cousin of Chief Justice John Roberts who wants to marry her partner will be in the room during this week’s Supreme Court hearings on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, and she predicted her relative will “go in a good direction” on the case.

“He is a smart man,” Jean Podrasky, a 48-year-old accountant from San Francisco, told the Los Angeles Times. “He is a good man. I believe he sees where the tide is going. I do trust him. I absolutely trust that he will go in a good direction.”

She will be attending the hearings alongside her partner of four years, Grace Fasano. Podrasky said she usually only sees her cousin at family gatherings, and has no knowledge of his opinions about gay marriage. But Roberts knows she is gay, she said, and she hopes to introduce him and Fasano this week.

Podrasky is sitting in a court section reserved for Roberts’ friends and family. Podrasky went through Roberts’ sister, Peggy, and the justice’s secretary to get the tickets. Roberts is aware is cousin will be in attendance.

Podrasky expects the court to strike down Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California.

While Podrasky said she doesn’t know if having a lesbian family member impacts Roberts’ thinking, a Pew Research Center poll released last week found 32 percent of those who became supporters of gay marriage after opposing it did so because they knew someone who was gay.

Watch the right wing blogosphere go crazy on this one.