Roberts Rebukes Personal Attacks on Judges After Trump's Broadside
Chief Justice John Roberts warned personally directed hostility toward federal judges is 'dangerous' after President Trump’s recent attacks, amid 564 threats reported to the U.S. Marshals Service in the fiscal year ended in September.
PJ MediaJohn Roberts Calls for Restraint After Years of Judicial Overreach
Political WireRoberts Slams ‘Dangerous’ Attacks on Justices
The Gateway PunditChief Justice Roberts Takes Veiled Shot at President Trump | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila
Washington ExaminerJohn Roberts urges politicians to stop personal attacks on judges
Overview
Chief Justice John Roberts said personally directed hostility toward federal judges "is dangerous and it's got to stop" in remarks at Rice University's Baker Institute in Houston on Tuesday.
Roberts' comments came two days after President Donald Trump called a federal judge "wacky, nasty, crooked and totally out of control."
Trump and some administration allies have openly criticized judges, with Trump renewing past calls to impeach Judge James Boasberg and officials such as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posting sharp criticisms on X.
The U.S. Marshals Service reported 564 threats in the government fiscal year that ended in September, and Roberts said Congress has increased funding for judges' security.
Roberts previously rejected impeachment as an appropriate response to judicial decisions and warned that violence, intimidation and disinformation threaten judicial independence, while some lower-court judges have said more robust defense of the judiciary is needed.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a clash between institutional restraint and inflammatory criticism, foregrounding Roberts' admonition and reports of threats while amplifying Trump's extreme language. Editorial choices—placement, selective sourcing of judges' concerns, and highlighting violent-threat context—tilt the narrative toward institutional vulnerability and criticism of Trump's rhetoric.
FAQ
Roberts rebuked Trump after he called federal Judge James Boasberg 'wacky, nasty, crooked and totally out of control' and renewed calls for his impeachment over a ruling blocking deportations of noncitizens alleged to be Venezuelan gang members under an executive order.
The U.S. Marshals Service reported 564 threats against federal judges in the fiscal year that ended in September.
Roberts stated that 'impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision' and that the normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.
Yes, in 2018, after Trump called a judge an 'Obama judge,' Roberts responded that 'We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.'
Congress has increased funding for judges' security, and Roberts noted rising threats including online harassment, physical violence, and doxxing in 2025.
