ObamaCare survives: Why did John Roberts vote with the liberals?

The conservative judge astounds much of the political world by throwing his weight behind ObamaCare. Here, five theories to explain his mysterious move

Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath of office to President Obama in 2009: On June 28, 2012, the conservative judge made the president's day (or year?) by upholding ObamaCare.
(Image credit: The White House/Getty Images)

Chief Justice John Roberts just became liberals' new best friend. The conservative justice — who in the past has led the charge to allow unlimited corporate spending in elections, strike down city gun laws, and dismantle affirmative action programs — came up big for President Obama on Thursday by providing the crucial fifth vote to largely uphold Obama's 2010 overhaul of the health care system. Most critically, Roberts sided with the court's four liberal justices to uphold the individual mandate, the centerpiece of ObamaCare that requires most Americans to buy insurance or pay a fine. The move stunned court observers, many of whom had predicted that Justice Anthony Kennedy, a more-regular swing vote, would be the conservative who wavered. (Instead, Kennedy voted to overturn the entire law.) Here, five theories why Roberts sided with the Left:

1. He wanted to preserve the court's reputation

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