Skip to main content
PARADISE LOST

Chief Justice’s Island Escape Turns Into a Nightmare

John Roberts’ presence at a peaceful coastal retreat is becoming increasingly fraught.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla/Chip Somodevilla/Pool via Reuters

By Ewan Palmer

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ hopes for peaceful getaways on an island off the coast of Maine are frequently interrupted by protests and backlash over the court’s decisions.

A New York Times feature describes how Roberts is increasingly being shunned by the community on Hupper Island, a car-free enclave just off Port Clyde, and is frequently targeted by demonstrations from so-called “kayak-tivists,” who stage protests on the waters outside his home.

The protest at Roberts’ house was organized by The Audacity: Creative Action Together, a local progressive group, which said on its website that it aimed “to bring attention to Chief Justice John Roberts’ transformation of the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp for authoritarianism.”

The protest at Roberts’ house was organized by The Audacity: Creative Action Together, a local progressive group, which said on its website that it aimed “to bring attention to Chief Justice John Roberts’ transformation of the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp for authoritarianism.”

Courtesy of James Cook

Roberts bought his summer home on Hupper Island in 2006 and has retreated there every year since. While the chief justice’s presence has caused tensions with some community members for years, those tensions have increased after several high-profile SCOTUS decisions, such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the decision to grant President Donald Trump broad immunity from prosecution for actions committed in office.

Even friends of Roberts in the community have noted that the justice has become more isolated as it has become harder and harder for him to ignore the backlash. There have even been times when people have refused to attend events knowing that Roberts would also be there.

The Port Clyde General Store is at the center of this village within the town of St. George.

Chief Justice John Roberts has had a summer home just off Port Clyde since 2006.

Fred Field/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

“From what I see, the barrier runs both ways,” Mary Anne Mason, a friend and former law partner of the chief justice who lives in Port Clyde, told the Times. “It’s harder for him to feel comfortable approaching people—and vice versa.”

The group slammed Roberts’ role in the Supreme Court’s sharp rightward turn, citing among other decisions the overturning of the constitutional right to abortion, the ruling granting presidents immunity for official acts, and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act.

The group slammed Roberts’ role in the Supreme Court’s sharp rightward turn, citing among other decisions the overturning of the constitutional right to abortion, the ruling granting presidents immunity for official acts, and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act.

Courtesy of James Cook

Local residents said that, for a long time, there was an unspoken rule not to discuss the Supreme Court’s work with Roberts when he appeared at public and social events.

Roberts was also known to reply that he was just a judge when a stranger asked what he did for work.

U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for their group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022.
JUSTICE DENIED

SCOTUS Justice Attacks Court for Destroying Its Reputation

Ewan Palmer

Neighbors and friends also noticed changes in his behavior, such as appearing more often in public with his security detail close by and no longer hanging out on a dock after the local Sunday church service because of the kayaking protesters.

Tamara Cody, a longtime friend of Roberts, said the change in him has been “hard to watch.”

Abortion-rights advocates demonstrate as police officers look on outside the home of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on May 18, 2022 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Protests have been organized intermittently outside the homes of justices who signed onto - though Roberts did not sign - a draft opinion that would overturn the landmark decision Roe v Wade, which made abortion legal across the U.S. in 1973.

There were protests outside the Maryland home of Chief Justice John Roberts in 2022 after it was leaked that he would overturn the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade.

Bonnie Cash/Bonnie Cash/Getty Images

The Times notes that the first “visible crack” between Roberts and the rest of the community came in 2022, when Becca Shaw Glaser wrote a damning opinion piece in the now-defunct Free Press about the chief justice after the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito attends an event organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, in Rome, Italy, September 20, 2025.
SLICK MOVE!

SCOTUS Justice Steps Aside in Bombshell Blow to Trump

Sarah Ewall-Wice

“Should you see Chief Justice John Roberts duck into Squid Ink coffee or the Port Clyde General Store this summer, consider letting him know exactly what you think of him and his illegitimate, ultraconservative court,” Shaw Glaser wrote. “Yell, boo, whisper, weep audibly, give him the thumbs down or the finger, hand him a note, refuse to serve him.”

Play Video

Glaser was soon fired from her columnist gig for the piece, headlined “We Need to Talk about Chief Justice John Roberts Blissfully Summering Off Port Clyde.” However, the local paper soon received irate letters from residents unhappy about her dismissal.

The Times noted that others also began to “follow her instructions” and actively made their feelings about Roberts in Port Clyde clear.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE
Ewan Palmer
Ewan PalmerReporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

Sign in or create an account

Login dialog

Loading comments…

TRENDING NOW