U.S. Supreme Court's chief justice speaks out after Trump calls for judge to be impeached

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 1:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes ago

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts responded connected Tuesday to President Donald Trump's attacks connected a national justice presiding implicit a deportation battle, rejecting the thought that impeachment is the reply for a disagreement with the jurist's rulings.

Roberts's uncommon connection extracurricular chambers followed Trump's telephone connected Tuesday for the impeachment of Washington-based U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who ordered the medication connected Saturday to halt the removal of alleged Venezuelan pack members, which Trump has argued is authorized by an 18th-century instrumentality historically utilized lone successful wartime.

"For much than 2 centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an due effect to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," Roberts said successful a connection issued by the court. "The mean appellate reappraisal process exists for that purpose."

Democrats and critics of the medication person expressed concerns the U.S. could beryllium headed for a law situation arsenic officials successful the Trump administration, arsenic good arsenic the president, person made statements raising concerns implicit whether they'll abide by judicial orders.

WATCH | Breaking down the arguable deportation of migrants to El Salvador: 

Tom Homan, Trump's borderline czar, was the latest to bash so, successful a Fox News interrogation connected Monday.

"We're not stopping. I don't attraction what the judges think," said Homan, whose authoritative rubric is enforcement subordinate manager for enforcement and removal operations.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told CNBC connected Tuesday that "there are galore times erstwhile the mentation of the instrumentality is erroneous" from proceedings tribunal judges. He stopped abbreviated of recommending defying those orders.

Trump authoritative responds to judge

Boasberg connected Saturday successful Washington, D.C., imposed a two-week halt to deportations nether a proclamation by Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to state that the Venezuelan situation pack Tren de Aragua was conducting irregular warfare against the United States.

In a Tuesday greeting societal media post, Trump described Boasberg arsenic an unelected "troublemaker and agitator." 

"I'm conscionable doing what the voters wanted maine to do," said Trump. "This judge, similar galore of the crooked judges I americium forced to look before, should beryllium impeached!!!"

In a tribunal filing connected Tuesday responding to Boasberg's request, Department of Homeland Security authoritative Robert Cerna said 3 planes carrying deportees departed for El Salvador connected Saturday aft Trump's bid was posted connected the White House website that afternoon. 

Only 1 of those flights departed aft Boasberg's two-week prohibition deed the nationalist tribunal docket astatine 7:25 p.m. ET connected Saturday, Cerna wrote successful a sworn declaration. Cerna said everyone aboard that level had abstracted removal orders, and frankincense were not deported nether the Alien Enemies Act alone.

Threats to judges connected the rise

As Reuters documented successful a bid of stories past year, governmental unit connected national judges and convulsive threats against them person been rising since the 2020 statesmanlike election, erstwhile national courts heard a bid of highly politicized cases, including failed lawsuits filed by Trump and his backers seeking to overturn his nonaccomplishment that year.

Trump past faced gag orders from much than 1 judge, arsenic helium battled some a civilian defamation lawsuit and 4 transgression indictments, earlier completing his singular governmental comeback. Those transgression cases person fallen by the wayside since his November predetermination win.

Roberts, successful his yearly year-end study successful December, warned astir a rising fig of threats to the judiciary's independence, including calls for unit against judges and "dangerous" suggestions by elected officials to disregard tribunal rulings they disagree with.

Reuters reported earlier this period that U.S. Marshals person warned national judges of unusually precocious menace levels arsenic tech billionaire advisor Elon Musk and Trump medication allies ramp up efforts to discredit judges who basal successful the mode of White House efforts to slash national jobs and programs, according to respective judges with cognition of the warnings. 

Musk has lambasted judges successful much than 30 societal media posts since the extremity of January connected his societal media tract X, calling them "corrupt" oregon "evil," and deriding what helium termed the "tyranny of the judiciary" aft judges blocked parts of a national downsizing measure.

"I've ne'er seen judges arsenic uneasy arsenic they are now," John Jones III, a erstwhile U.S. territory justice successful Pennsylvania appointed by erstwhile Republican president George W. Bush, told Reuters.

While immoderate Trump allies person been openly captious of judges, blimpish justness Brett Kavanaugh was the people of an alleged assassination effort successful 2022.

Nicholas Roske, the accused, is acceptable for proceedings successful that lawsuit successful June.

According to allegations, Roske travelled crossed state from California to Kavanaugh's Maryland neighbourhood, with the volition of sidesplitting the justness and past himself. He called a household subordinate portion successful Maryland, and that comparative past alerted authorities.

Roske allegedly told constabulary helium was upset by caller tribunal rulings connected termination and weapon control.