Chief justice calls out personal attacks on judges as 'dangerous'
Then-Rice University President David Leebron, left, listens as Chief Justice John Roberts answers a question at Rice University on Oct. 17, 2012, in Houston. Roberts recently called out personal attacks aimed at judges and justices, labeling them “dangerous” and saying they’ve got to stop. (Photo by Cody Duty/The Houston Chronicle via the Associated Press)
Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday called out personal attacks aimed at judges and justices, labeling them “dangerous" and saying they've got to stop.
Roberts made the comments during a wide-ranging conversation at Rice University in Houston. The remarks mark the first time that he’s commented in public on personal attacks against judges since President Donald Trump called the six Supreme Court justices who ruled against his sweeping tariffs last month “fools and lap dogs,” according to a story by the New York Times.
Roberts said his comments were not directed at a particular person or a political party, and he emphasized that criticism is different from a personal attack.
“It’s important that our decisions are subjected to scrutiny, and they are,” he said, according to the New York Times.
But, Roberts said, “the problem sometimes is that the criticism can move from a focus on legal analysis to personalities. And you see—from all over, not just any one political perspective on it—that it’s more directed in a personal way, and that, frankly, can be actually quite dangerous.”
CBS News also reported on the comments.
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