WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement Tuesday rebuking President Donald Trump and his allies for calling to impeach judges who have ruled against the administration.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said in a statement.
Trump allies have called for various judges to be impeached for blocking administration policies in the first months of his second term.
But Trump himself raised the stakes on Tuesday, when he called for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg after he blocked the deportation of Venezuelan migrants.
“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump posted.
Federal judges have frequently intervened on Trump’s agenda since he took office again in January and implemented a set of aggressive policies that raised several novel legal issues. That has angered the administration and the broader MAGA base, leading to increasingly frequent calls for impeachment and raising concerns within the judiciary.
Just last week, federal judges raised the alarm about security concerns and urged public officials to use caution when criticizing court rulings.
Roberts’ statement is not the first time he has publicly clashed with Trump. In 2018, he criticized Trump for singling out an “Obama judge” who had ruled against the administration.
“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them,” Roberts said.
That statement had little impact on Trump, who has continued to use harsh rhetoric against judges.
In the meantime, Roberts has on several occasions played key roles in various Trump dramas. He also presided over the first of two Trump impeachment trials in the Senate, each of which led to acquittals, and in January, he handled Trump’s swearing-in as president for the second time.
Although Roberts himself has cast a vote against Trump in various Supreme Court cases, he also authored the ruling last year that found Trump had broad criminal immunity for his actions contesting the 2020 election results.
Trump was caught on camera speaking to Roberts just after he gave his recent address to a joint session of Congress.
“Thank you again. Thank you again. Won’t forget it,” Trump said. It was not clear what Trump was referring to, but some commentators speculated that he may have been talking about the immunity ruling.
The White House declined to comment on Roberts’ statement.
Peter Alexander contributed.
