Supreme Court Chief Justice stresses judicial independence

John Roberts on Wednesday said the judiciary serves as coequal branch of the government by striking down acts of Congress or the president that do not align with the Constitution. He made the comments during a fireside interview attended by judges and lawyers gathered in Buffalo, New York to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the U.S. District Court of the Western District of New York.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo asked Roberts a wide range of questions during the chief justice’s rare public appearance, spanning a discussion about his law career to the process of overturning previous Supreme Court decisions. Roberts reiterated the importance of judges placing the interpretation of the law above personal beliefs or potential real-world implications of a decision. Roberts has served as the Supreme Court’s chief justice for 20 years and is considered a moderate conservative in many legal circles.

What did he say about Trump’s criticism of some judges? President Donald Trump in recent months has said judges who oppose his executive orders should be removed. In March Trump called for the impeachment of a judge who had ordered a temporary stay of the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members. Republican members of Congress have introduced articles of impeachment against several judges, including Judge Paul Engelmayer who limited the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to Treasury data.

In a rare public statement, Roberts on March 18 said that impeachment was not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. Roberts this week did not directly mention Trump when asked about the impeachment attempts, but reiterated that he believed it was not the proper way to resolve conflicts. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher and Mary Reichard's report on The World and Everything in It about the U.S. Supreme Court's docket this spring.