Alaska History Footnotes: John Roberts An irregular series of
historical footnotes that were overlooked in your Alaska history
class. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has
managed to make himself loathed by liberals and conservatives
alike, was originally President Bush’s nominee for the 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals. His nomination expired before the
Senate acted upon it, so he returned to private practice at the
D.C. law firm Hogan & Hartson and became the head of the firm’s
appellate practice. While at Hogan & Hartson, he argued a series
of cases to the U.S. Supreme Court, including representing the
State of Alaska in the Knowles administration on the appeal of
State of Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government.
The case involved whether native villages could impose taxes on
activities on their land. Justice Thomas, writing for a
unanimous court, held that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement
Act had largely abolished Native reservations in Alaska and,
with them, the taxing powe