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In a rare public statement, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts seemingly spoke out against President Donald Trump‘s call to impeach a federal judge who disagreed with him.
When D.C. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg blocked Trump’s move to deport Venezuelan immigrants in recent days, Trump responded by calling for the judge’s impeachment.
Roberts — the highest-ranking court official in the United States — then weighed in on Trump’s position, offering a concise reminder of how the U.S. justice system operates.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning judicial decision,” Roberts said in a statement on Tuesday, March 18. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
Roberts issued a similar statement in 2018, following Trump’s outrage at an “Obama judge” who disagreed with his immigration policy.
“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” said Roberts — who was appointed by George W. Bush — at the time. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”
Boasberg’s review was to discover if the Trump administration had violated a court order to pause deportations of suspected Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Around the time that Boasberg’s court order was placed, the administration authorized deportation flights carrying more than 200 immigrants to El Salvador.
Boasberg, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ordered the Trump administration to disclose flight information, though The New York Times reported that the Justice Department refused to disclose if departure times were before or after the court order went into effect.
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In response to Boasberg’s rulings, Trump called the federal judge a “Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator.” He also attacked Obama, who put Boasberg on the bench in 2011.
“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump wrote.
Boasberg is not the first judge whom Trump has attacked for ruling against him, though it is rare for Trump’s pointed remarks to warrant a Supreme Court response.
