John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, issued a rare rebuke of recent attacks toward members of the judiciary, many of them directed by President Donald Trump and his supporters following rulings that did not go their way.
“Judges around the country work very hard to get it right, and if they don’t, their opinions are subject to criticism,” Roberts said during an event at Rice University.
“But personally directed hostility is dangerous, and it’s got to stop,” he added, calling recent developments “dangerous” and a “problem.”
Roberts did not mention Trump by name, though the president has repeatedly attacked lower court judges by name after rulings against his administration, and has increased his attacks toward the high court ever since last month when it struck down his tariff scheme.
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Most recently, Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social: “This completely inept and embarrassing Court was not what the Supreme Court of the United States was set up by our wonderful Founders to be. They are hurting our Country, and will continue to do so.”
Trump previously expressed frustration with the Supreme Court justices immediately after their tariff ruling. He said he was ashamed of some justices, calling them “a disgrace to our nation” and “fools and lap dogs for the RINOS and the radical-left Democrats.”
He made his criticism personal for Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both of whom he nominated during his first term, saying, “I think it’s an embarrassment to their families.”
He expressed similar outrage when the court rejected his effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Roberts’ remarks follow warnings from federal judges that the Trump administration’s attacks toward the judiciary are fueling threats to their safety.
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