Chief Justice Roberts publishes Taft essay on In Pursuit Substack, sparking platform debate

DKC, a public-affairs agency in New York, issued a release highlighting Chief Justice Roberts’s new essay on William Howard Taft, published on the In Pursuit Substack. The piece reflects on Taft’s resilience after his 1912 presidential defeat and his subsequent influence as a Supreme Court chief justice, even referencing the Court’s recent vindication of Myers in Slaughter. In Pursuit, launched by historian Jim Ambuske in March 2026, gathers essays from notable public figures—including Barack Obama, Annette Gordon-Reed, Bill Clinton, Jack Rakove and Jon Meacham—about historic American leaders.

Roberts also recorded an audio version of his essay. The Substack reports roughly 27,000 subscribers, a figure the commentator deems low given the caliber of contributors, and uses the episode to critique the platform’s reach. The post concludes that the episode illustrates a mismatch between the platform’s prestige and its audience size.