Chief Justice Roberts Defends Judicial Independence

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a defense Tuesday of judicial independence, which he said is under threat from intimidation, disinformation, and the prospect of public officials defying court orders.

Roberts laid out his concerns in an annual report released after a year in which the nation's court system was unusually enmeshed in a closely fought presidential race, with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attacking its integrity as he faced criminal charges for which he denied wrongdoing.

Trump won the election following a landmark Supreme Court immunity decision penned by Roberts that led to criticism from Democrats like President Joe Biden.

Trump is now readying for a second term as president with an ambitious agenda, elements of which are likely to be legally challenged and end up before the court, whose conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump during his first term.

Roberts didn't mention Trump. Still, he wrote that even if court decisions are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration, other branches of government must be willing to enforce them to ensure the rule of law.

He pointed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegrated schools in 1954 as one that needed federal enforcement in the face of resistance from southern governors.

"It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy," he wrote.

The chief justice also decried elected officials across the political spectrum who have "raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings."

"Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed," he wrote. While public officials have the right to criticize rulings, they should also be aware of that their statements can "prompt dangerous reactions by others."

He also pointed to disinformation about court rulings as a threat to judges' independence, saying that social media can magnify distortions and even be exploited by "hostile foreign state actors" to exacerbate divisions.

Threats of violence against judges around the country have been on the rise across the country in recent years, something that Roberts called "wholly unacceptable."