U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday strongly defended the independence of the judiciary following sharp criticism from President Donald Trump and his allies, who have been calling for the impeachment of judges who ruled against the president’s policies.
Speaking at a legal conference in Buffalo, New York, Roberts emphasized that impeachment is not an appropriate response to court decisions that some disagree with. “Impeachment is not how you register disagreement with decisions,” he said. “That’s what the appeals process is for.”
Although Roberts didn’t mention Trump by name, his remarks echoed a rare public rebuke in March, when he criticized the president for calling a federal judge a “Radical Left Lunatic” and demanding his impeachment. That judge had blocked the administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Since Trump’s return to office in January, his administration has faced more than 200 lawsuits challenging his executive actions. The Justice Department has repeatedly turned to the Supreme Court for emergency rulings—filing 13 such requests in just over 15 weeks—an unusually high number that shows no signs of slowing down, according to Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck.
Roberts, who leads the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, noted the critical role of judicial independence in maintaining the balance of power in the U.S. government. “This job is to decide cases, of course,” he said, “but also to check the excesses of Congress or the executive. And that requires independence.”
He also addressed the internal dynamics of the Supreme Court, saying that despite ideological differences and sharp exchanges between conservative and liberal justices, their working relationships remain strong.
The Supreme Court has recently ruled both in favor of and against Trump’s agenda. It allowed the administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, slash teacher training grants tied to diversity programs, and fire thousands of probationary federal employees. However, the Court also blocked the administration from withholding payments to foreign aid groups for previously completed work and ordered the release of a wrongly deported man from El Salvador. Additionally, the justices stopped the government from deporting Venezuelan migrants in violation of a previous Court order.
On May 15, the Court is scheduled to hear arguments in another major Trump policy case—his executive order aiming to limit automatic birthright citizenship.