In his comments, Earnest cautioned that someone who reads into the tough questioning by the Supreme Court justices and the tenor of the case “is not a very good student of the Supreme Court.”

“I would caution against anyone to try and make predictions,” Earnest said. “That’s a risky path to go down if you’re placing bets.”

Asked about James Carville’s comments that a ruling against the mandate would be a good thing for Democrats, Earnest said “Mr. Carville has the freedom to make those kinds of political assessments” but added that he wasn’t in a position to do the same from the White House podium.

Despite the solicitor general’s shaky performance before the court, Earnest called Donald Verrilli Jr., the government’s lawyer in the case, a “very skilled advocate” and “one of the brightest legal minds in Washington, D.C.”