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In July 2024, Chief Justice John Roberts penned one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions of President Donald Trump’s political career. In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, Roberts and the court’s conservative majority established that Presidents can enjoy broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts—a decision that provided Trump with a crucial legal shield as he campaigned to return to the White House. The ruling effectively delayed one of Trump’s most serious criminal cases related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, contributing to the political landscape that allowed his re-election bid to thrive.
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But on Tuesday, after weeks of silence, Roberts took a markedly different stance. In a rare move, he issued a public statement pushing back against Trump’s escalating attacks on federal judges who have ruled against his Administration—just hours after Trump called for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg over a ruling blocking a key deportation policy.
“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 wrote, according to the Associated Press. His words, measured but firm, represented a striking contrast to his previous willingness to bolster Trump’s legal arguments.
The moment highlighted the complex and sometimes contradictory role Roberts has played in Trump’s political and legal battles. As the leader of the judiciary, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005, he has, at times, enabled Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power. Yet, as Trump’s attacks on judges have grown more incendiary, Roberts appears increasingly compelled to push back.
Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump:
A history of enabling Trump’s legal shield
Roberts’ tenure as Chief Justice has coincided with some of the most tumultuous legal battles involving a sitting President. Despite his reputation as an institutionalist committed to preserving the court’s legitimacy, Roberts has frequently authored or joined opinions that benefited Trump’s political and legal standing.
In 2018, he cast the decisive vote in upholding Trump’s controversial travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries. More recently, in March 2024, his court issued a unanimous decision blocking state-level efforts to bar Trump from the ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause—a ruling that secured Trump’s path to renomination.
But no decision was more consequential than last year’s ruling on presidential immunity. By siding with Trump’s argument that former Presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for official acts, Roberts’ court delayed legal proceedings that could have put Trump on trial before the 2024 election. The decision drew sharp criticism from legal experts who warned that it effectively placed the presidency above the law, granting future occupants of the office unprecedented protection from accountability.
Trump, for his part, appeared to recognize the significance of the ruling. As he exited a joint session of Congress earlier this month, cameras captured him warmly thanking Roberts. “Thank you again. Won’t forget it,” the President said. While Trump later insisted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was referring to Roberts’ role in swearing him in as President, the moment fueled speculation that the President saw Roberts as an ally in his legal battles.
Read More: Will the Supreme Court Preserve the Rule of Law?
A rare rebuke to Trump’s judiciary attacks
Despite his past decisions aiding Trump’s legal defenses, Roberts has also taken pains to push back when Trump directly undermines the judiciary’s independence. His statement on Tuesday was not the first time he has publicly criticized Trump for attacking judges.
In 2018, after Trump dismissed a federal judge as an “Obama judge” following a ruling against his asylum policy, Roberts issued an uncharacteristically direct response. “We do not have ‘Obama judges’ or ‘Trump judges,’ ‘Bush judges’ or ‘Clinton judges.’ What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them,” he said at the time.
Trump dismissed Roberts’ latest statement on Tuesday night during a Fox News interview. “He didn’t mention my name in his statement,” Trump said of Roberts, suggesting that he could have been referring to other people who have called for Judge Boasberg to be impeached. Prior to Roberts’ intervention, Trump called Boasberg “a Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama,” after he blocked his Administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants.
Read More: John Roberts Named on TIME100’s Most Influential People of 2020 List
A judiciary under siege in Trump’s second term
As Trump’s presidency unfolds, the courts remain one of the few institutions capable of checking his expansive use of executive power. Since taking office again in January, Trump has pushed an aggressive legal agenda that has triggered a flurry of lawsuits. His Administration’s frequent losses in lower courts have seemingly fueled Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, with some conservative allies in Congress introducing articles of impeachment against multiple judges, including Boasberg. Impeaching a judge would require 67 votes in the Senate, which means Republicans and Democrats would both have to support it.
Roberts, as the head of the federal judiciary, has been facing mounting pressure to protect the courts from political interference. With a lifetime appointment, it remains to be seen whether the 70-year-old Chief Justice will take further steps to defend judicial independence as Trump continues his broadsides against the judiciary.
