Chief Justice John Roberts defended the Supreme Court against accusations of partisan decision-making at a conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania, lamenting a perceived public misunderstanding of the judiciary's role. Roberts stated that many people view the justices as "political actors" and that the court is not involved in policy decisions. His comments followed a recent Supreme Court decision that significantly weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling criticized by Democrats and voting rights groups for its conservative outcome and for enabling states to redraw congressional boundaries that could benefit Republicans. This decision also sparked a public disagreement between conservative and liberal justices. Roberts reiterated that while criticism of the court's decisions is acceptable, personal attacks on judges are inappropriate. He also indicated that he intends to review the length of oral arguments, which he believes are currently running too long.