Chief Justice Roberts rebuking Trump should shut up Trump for good, but it won’t
The three branches of the federal government are supposed to form a series of checks and balances. If you head up the judicial system, it makes sense to want to maintain your power against the executive and legislative branches.
Simple, right? Perhaps not, as despite being at the head of America’s highest court, Chief Justice John Roberts only just seems to have grasped this now.
During his last term, Trump stacked the lower courts with judges, and ensured a healthy majority for the right with his two Supreme Court picks. He was rewarded with loyalty at all levels of the legal system, whether it was Aileen Cannon holding up his classified documents case until it could be dismissed, or the Roberts court making the controversial and seemingly nonsensical decision to allow Donald Trump to break the law and not face consequences.
Many have argued that this completely diminishes the power of the courts in general, as it means the rule of law doesn’t apply to the most powerful person in the country. So, it’s not surprising Trump is acting like he has supreme control.
The Home Alone 2 actor has used this confidence to attack a judge who blocked the illegal deportation of Venezuelan migrants by his administration. Using his trademark unhinged style, the close personal friend of Jeffery Epstein and current Republican leader posted: “This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”
This led to Roberts to issues a rare rebukement of the current president. As per NBC, Roberts said:
“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.”
Looking for Trump’s attention and approval, Republican representative Brandon Gill of Texas posted to his social media accounts that he had introduced articles of impeachment against the U.S District Judge James Boasberg, who made the ruling.
In the past some federal judges have been impeached, but targeting a judge for an individual decision is unheard of. The reasoning behind most removals has been gross misconduct, which includes behavior like taking bribes. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is currently under scrutiny for accepting expensive gifts from Nazi obsessed Republican donors, as well as his wife’s close personal ties to those who stormed the Capitol in an attempted insurrection on January 6. There have been no calls by Republicans to impeach him.
To be fair to Roberts, this isn’t the first time he’s come out against Trump’s anti-judge rhetoric. In 2018, in response to the former Apprentice star criticizing someone as an “Obama judge,” Roberts said:
“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.”
However, since then, it’s been very buddy buddy between Roberts and the failed casino owner who now sits in the White House. After Trump recently gave an address to a joint session of congress, he was heard telling Roberts, “Thank you again. Thank you again. Won’t forget it.” This was believed to be a reaction to the immunity ruling.
Stacking the judiciary and undermining their power has long been a successful tactic of authoritarian regimes, from the USSR under Stalin to Nazi Germany. Let’s hope Roberts can take heed from those examples.
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