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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts issued a warning Tuesday over what he called the dangerous criticism of federal judges, saying attacks were coming from all sides.
Speaking at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston, Roberts avoided directly speaking about President Donald Trump on the matter, but his comments come after the president posted personal attacks against the Supreme Court and other judges on social media in recent days.
Roberts said criticism can be healthy, but it should be aimed at rulings rather than at the people making them.
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"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," he said. "The problem, sometimes, is that 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 and that, quite frankly, can be quite dangerous."
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What Did Trump Say About Judges?
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump criticized the Supreme Court, accusing it of having "unnecessarily RANSACKED" the United States. His comments came after the 6-3 conservative majority struck down the president's global tariffs in a 6-3 vote in February. Roberts voted against him.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump thanked the three justices who sided with him in the case, but said 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."
In his post, Trump accused the courts of being "highly politicized," saying it treated "Republicans, and me, so unfairly, always seeming to protect those who should not be protected."
The president said the ruling in the tariffs case was the one that "mattered most" to him, adding, "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."
Also on Sunday, Trump posted about U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who had quashed subpoenas the Justice Department had issued to the Federal Reserve. Boasberg has ruled against the Trump administration in multiple cases, including on immigration policy.
Trump said 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.”
Others within the Trump administration have also criticized judges when they have not ruled in their favor over the past year, with many branded as radicals.
Threats Against Judges Rise
Recent reporting from the U.S. Marshals Service, which oversees protecting judges, showed 546 threats against judges in the last full fiscal year, which ended September 2025, up from the year before.
Speaking on Tuesday, Roberts said these threats were serious and noted that Congress had increased funding for judges' security.
Roberts said that judges around the country were working hard, and that "personally directed hostility" had to stop.
The chief justice also addressed the allegations of judges either having political bias, or failing to honor the president who appointed them, in their decision making. Roberts said that those ideas were unfounded.
"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.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 3/17/26, 5:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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