Chief Justice Roberts responds to Trump’s call for impeachment of judges.
In an unusual public response, Chief Justice John Roberts addressed Trump’s impeachment call regarding a federal judge.
Scripps News
President Donald Trump expressed that Chief Justice John Roberts and the U.S. Supreme Court must take action against federal judges who have issued orders that hinder various policies he has implemented.
“Our aim is to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and we cannot achieve such a lofty goal if Radical and Highly Partisan Judges are allowed to obstruct JUSTICE. We must END NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. If Justice Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not rectify this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our Country will face serious issues!” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.
This statement marks a continuation of the ongoing dispute between two of the three branches of the U.S. government, amidst increasing Republican criticism of federal judges who have ruled against the legality of Trump’s broad actions early in his presidency.
Earlier this week, Trump targeted Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, a lifetime appointee, demanding his impeachment after he ruled against one of Trump’s deportation policies in a D.C. federal court. Congressional Republicans subsequently filed articles of impeachment against Boasberg, but it’s uncertain if House leaders will permit these to advance.
Roberts’ subsequent reply implied that the president was challenging a fundamental principle of American governance by suggesting that impeachment was an appropriate reaction to unfavorable judicial rulings.
Trump’s messages seem to underscore his apprehension about the authority of federal judges across the nation to issue nationwide injunctions, which can prevent the federal government from taking action outside their court’s geographic jurisdiction.
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‘Overstepping the bounds of the presidency’
Boasberg is one of several judges who have determined that the Trump administration likely breached the Constitution or federal statutes with a range of executive decisions. The administration has been mandated to halt federal employee layoffs, certain deportation actions, a prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the military, among other directives.
In a later post, Trump again criticized Boasberg, stating that “Judge James Boasberg is working to overstep the bounds of the presidency.”
Historically, Trump and his allies have not always seen Roberts as an opponent. Some critics have suggested that Roberts provided legal support for Trump, especially in the 2024 Supreme Court decision he wrote that protected Trump and potentially other past and future presidents from criminal prosecution for various actions carried out while in office. Nonetheless, the Roberts court has also frequently challenged the administration’s maneuvers.
Contributors: Aysha Bagchi, Joey Garrison, and Maureen Groppe.
