Chief Justice John Roberts issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that personal attacks on judges are becoming dangerous and must stop. Addressing the growing criticism of the courts in the United States, Roberts delivered his remarks at Rice University in Texas.
Roberts said that while it is normal for people to disagree with court decisions, criticism should not turn into personal attacks. While he urged people to question the rulings of judges, he also clarified that targeting them as individuals is where it crosses the line.
Although he did not mention Donald Trump directly, Roberts’ comments come in the wake of the President’s personal attacks against the Supreme Court and other judges on social media. In recent days, Trump has been particularly harsh towards federal judges, which seems to have led Roberts to share his opinion.
Chief Justice John Roberts on criticism of activist judges: “Personally directed hostility is dangerous and it’s got to stop.” pic.twitter.com/x1RD1nT4QX
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 17, 2026
“We don’t believe that we’re flawless, in any way, and it’s important that our decisions are subjected to scrutiny and they are,” Roberts began. “The problem sometimes is that the criticism can move from a focus on legal analysis to personalities,” he added.
“And you see from all over, I mean, 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,” the Chief Justice continued. “Personally directed hostility is dangerous and has got to stop.”
On Sunday night, in a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump attacked the court after it struck down his plan to impose wide tariffs on foreign imports. The President called the court “unjust” and “embarrassing,” and claimed it was harming the country.
“Our Country was unnecessarily RANSACKED by the United States Supreme Court, which has become little more than a weaponized and unjust Political Organization,” Trump said.
Trump: Our Country was unnecessarily RANSACKED by the United States Supreme Court, which has become little more than a weaponized and unjust Political Organization. pic.twitter.com/Cd9crbW5Fo
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 16, 2026
After the 6-3 conservative majority struck down the president’s global tariffs, Donald Trump thanked the three justices who sided with him in the case. However, he said that others “openly disrespect the Presidents who nominate them to the highest position in the Land.”
He continued, “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.”
Trump criticized specific judges, including John Roberts himself. In a separate post on Sunday, the President also targeted James Boasberg, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., calling him derogatory names after he blocked a government investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
The President said that Boasberg was “a Wacky, Nasty, Crooked, and totally Out of Control Judge” who “suffered from the highest level of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), and has been ‘after’ my people, and me, for years.”
Following these repeated criticisms from Trump, Chief Justice John Roberts used his remarks to push back against the idea that judges are influenced by the Presidents who appoint them. He rejected the idea and clarified that belief is simply not true.
Chief Justice John Roberts warned that personal attacks on Supreme Court justices and lower court judges are “dangerous” and said hostility directed toward specific jurists has “got to stop.” https://t.co/hr7VPIar1L pic.twitter.com/LUExtFFtuL
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) March 17, 2026
“The notion that we carry forward the views of the people that appointed us is absurd. President George W. Bush appointed me 20 years ago. The idea that I’m carrying out his agenda somehow is absurd,” he said.
Meanwhile, Roberts’ warning comes as recent data from the U.S. Marshals Service reveals that there were 546 threats against judges in the last fiscal year, which ended in September 2025. According to reports, the number has surged compared with the previous year.
