John Roberts' Gay Cousin Gets A Special Seat In The Supreme Court This Week

The Supreme Court is hearing two huge gay marriage cases this week, and Chief Justice John Roberts' lesbian cousin will get to sit in special reserved seating on one of those days, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Roberts' 48-year-old cousin, Jean Podrasky, has a pretty unusual perspective on the highly politicized case involving Proposition 8, California's voter-approved ban on gay marriage.

Podrasky told the LA Times that she will marry her "wonderful girlfriend" if the Supreme Court overturns Proposition 8, and she's relying on her cousin to help her do that.

"He is a smart man," says Podrasky, who will sit in seating reserved for Roberts' family. "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."

While Justice Anthony Kennedy is known as high court's swing voter, Roberts incurred the wrath of fellow conservatives by saving the heart of Obama's controversial health reform.

It's possible Roberts might be willing to anger conservatives again. Currently there are four conservatives, four liberals, and the mercurial Kennedy on the court. If Kennedy sides with the liberals to allow gay marriage in California, Roberts might be willing to go along with him.

Roberts doesn't like it when the high court issues closely divided decisions, he told The New Yorker's Jeffrey Rosen back in 2007. The chief said at the time that he wanted to achieve as broad a consensus as he could in every case.

"It’s not my greatest power; it’s my only power,” he told Rosen.