‘It’s got to stop’: Chief Justice John Roberts slams those who blast judges for wildly activist rulings
The chief justice of the United States Supreme Court says “personal” criticism of federal judges is unacceptable to him and “it’s got to stop.”
That’s apparently, based on his comments, even when judges issue wildly political and injurious opinions, such as James Boasberg, who at times has ordered President Donald Trump to turn around in mid-air jets carrying deported illegal alien criminals, or to go and fetch those deported illegal alien criminals from a foreign country’s jail.
Boasberg is the activist just who was part and parcel of those false schemes created by Democrats to damage Trump’s campaign in 2016, and then hurt his first term with false claims he conspired with Russia.
Chief Justice John Roberts, whose court ruled that Trump’s emergency tariffs imposed under an emergency economic law provision weren’t allowed, recently was asked about how he handles criticism.
While not mentioning Trump, Roberts left the implication that the president was the target of his comments.
“The notion that we carry forward the views of the people that appointed us is absurd,” Roberts said. “President George W. Bush appointed me 20 years ago. The idea that I’m carrying out his agenda somehow is absurd. The issues here, now today, nobody would have thought those were going to be a big deal 20 years ago.”
Chief Justice John Roberts amid President Trump’s criticism of judges: “Personally directed hostility is dangerous and it’s got to stop.” pic.twitter.com/Etrm1fe86B
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 17, 2026
He said criticism “comes with the territory” and “can be healthy.”
Roberts indicted “history is full of examples of presidents appointing people and being really surprised how they turned out, going both ways.”
“Felix Frankfurter turned out to be a lot more conservative than his appointing judge … Justice Brennan, a lot more liberal than his.”
“Certainly, I’ll always be grateful for President Bush for appointing me, and I’m sure all my colleagues are grateful there,” he added. “But the idea that I’m carrying out, or they are carrying out some different agendas, I think really fallacious.”
Trump recently responded to the high court’s tariff decision by imposing additional tariffs under a different law.
Trump also thanked the three justices who would have affirmed his position, and said the others “openly disrespect the presidents who nominate them to the highest position in the land.”
He added, “This completely inept and embarrassing Court was not what the Supreme Court of the United States was set up by our wonderful Founders to be. They are hurting our Country, and will continue to do so.”
The tariffs ruling from the court struck the emergency fees imposed by Trump under the Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Samual Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Trump charged the courts are “highly politicized.”
Trump said, “The Court knew where I stood, how badly I wanted this Victory for our Country, and instead decided to, potentially, give away Trillions of Dollars to Countries and Companies who have been taking advantage of the United States for decades. Our Supreme Court has made these Countries very happy but, as the Court pointed out, I have the absolute right to charge TARIFFS in another form, and have already started to do so.”
“The problem is 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,” Roberts said. “That frankly, can be, quite dangerous. … It’s got to stop.”
He denied that justices carry out political agendas, despite the obvious opinions and dissents that closely adhere to leftist agendas, sometimes even including Democrat party talking points.
Additional comments:
NOW: Chief SCOTUS Justice John Roberts on on stage COMPLAINING about the “hostility” the public feels towards activist judges
OF COURSE people are upset!
We elected PRESIDENT TRUMP. NOT President Boasberg—or any random Biden judge
And you’re doing NOTHING to rein them in,… pic.twitter.com/Qd2hO7Qhu2
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 17, 2026
A report from Courthousenews said Roberts’ comments came during an appearance at Rice University.
Trump also called Boasberg, who recently ordered an end to a federal investigation of possible corruption issues before evidence has been assembled, “wacky, nasty, crooked and totally out of control.”
Boasberg, appointed by Barack Obama during his leftist regime, displayed “open, flagrant, and extreme partisan bias and contempt against Republicans and the Trump administration,” Trump said.
Evidence now confirms that Obama was included in the scheme to injure Trump during his first campaign and first term.
It’s not the first time Roberts has exhibited his desire to control the president’s comments.
The report said, “Last March, Roberts issued a rare rebuke of Trump’s call for Boasberg’s impeachment.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation said Trump recently went to social media to charge: “Our Country was unnecessarily RANSACKED by the United States Supreme Court, which has become little more than a weaponized and unjust Political Organization. The sad thing is, they will only get worse! They wouldn’t even call out The Rigged Presidential Election of 2020, because they said that I, as President of the United States, did not have ‘standing’ to challenge it, and now, with time, it has been conclusively proven to be stolen.”