Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts stressed the importance of America’s courts remaining independent in order to “check the excesses” of both Congress and the president, during a judicial fireside chat Wednesday night in his native Buffalo, New York.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump‘s push for mass deportations has been getting held up in the courts. Within the first 100 days of his second term, the president invoked the Alien Enemies Act, granting him authority to deport and detain noncitizens. The implementation was originally blocked in court, with a judge calling for planes to turn around mid-flight.
Republican appointee Roberts, in a rare statement in March, reacted to Trump calling for the impeachment of judges who’ve ruled against him.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said.
What To Know
During Wednesday night’s event, Roberts spoke about the Constitution and the important role of the court: “In our Constitution … the judiciary is a coequal branch of government, separate from the others, with the authority to interpret the Constitution as law and strike down, obviously, acts of Congress or acts of the president,” NBC News reports.
“And that innovation doesn’t work if … the judiciary is not independent,” Roberts added. “Its job is to obviously decide cases, but in the course of that, check the excesses of Congress or the executive, and that does require a degree of independence.”
Roberts, who lived in Buffalo during his early childhood, did not directly mention Trump by name during his remarks.
The chief justice also spoke about his previous statement on the calls for impeachment, saying in part that that’s what the Supreme Court is there for—to handle disagreement.
What People Are Saying
Jeffrey Toobin, former federal prosecutor, on CNN Wednesday night, in part: “Well, I think it’s quite clear that this is aimed at not just the president but the entire administration, which has indicated that they regard a lot of court orders as advisory rather than binding.”
Toobin added, “I don’t think he [Roberts] disagrees with the president a lot on the substance, he just wants the courts respected in a way that this administration simply has not done.”
Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told Newsweek via X on Wednesday: “Chief Justice Roberts is very measured with his words, and tries to avoid any appearance of partisanship. That’s why his mild rebukes of President Trump and Congress speak volumes. He is trying to respond to the moment, understanding that he seems to be one of the few individuals in government that Trump respects. That’s because President Trump needs him more than he needs Trump.”
Trump ally Mike Davis on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “The Chief Justice has allowed activist judges to sabotage American voters and our duly elected President. John Roberts is incapable of getting his judicial house in order. So Congress must do it for him, through oversight hearings, jurisdiction-stripping, and funding cuts.”
Trump, Wednesday on Truth Social: “Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration has recently requested the Supreme Court intervene on an immigration case to allow revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants.
Update 5/7/25, 10:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Aronberg.
