Politics
Justice Roberts rebukes calls to impeach judges who disagree with Trump
By Craig Nigrelli (Anchor), Brock Koller (Senior Producer), Shea Taylor (Producer), Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor)
- Chief Justice John Roberts defended federal judges after President Donald Trump called for Judge James Boasberg’s impeachment over a deportation ruling. Roberts emphasized impeachment is not appropriate for judicial decision disagreements.
- Trump’s impeachment demand followed Boasberg’s temporary block on deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.
- Roberts’ statement addressed growing concerns over judicial independence, citing threats from disinformation, intimidation and efforts to delegitimize court decisions.
Full Story
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a public statement Tuesday, March 18, defending federal judges after President Donald Trump called for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn more
Left 36%
Center 43%
Right 21%
Bias Summary
- Chief Justice John Roberts rejected President Donald Trump's call to impeach Judge James Boasberg, stating that impeachment is not a proper response to disagreements over judicial decisions.
- Judge James Boasberg ordered deportation flights to return under a contested law, while Trump's administration claimed the order was unlawful.
- Roberts warned about the dangers of public officials intimidating judges, stating that such actions could provoke "dangerous reactions."
- Some congressional members are considering articles of impeachment against Judge Boasberg, reflecting ongoing tensions between the executive and judicial branches.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts criticized President Trump for suggesting the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg after his ruling against deportation plans.
- Judge Boasberg blocked Trump's attempt to deport Venezuelan gang members without a hearing, stating it was against the law.
- Trump criticized Judge Boasberg, calling him a "troublemaker and agitator" in a post on Truth Social, and accused him of obstructing his immigration policies during the deportation efforts against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
- Roberts emphasized the importance of the normal appellate review process and warned against actions that could undermine judicial independence, calling the situation a "direct threat" to it, according to Marin Levy, a professor at Duke University School of Law.
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
framed Roberts’ statement as a “rebuke” of Trump, emphasizing the constitutional implications of Trump’s “unhinged rant” and portraying his actions as a threat to judicial independence while highlighting the judge’s blocking of deportation flights.
Media outlets on the right
focused on the judge’s background as a “left-wing activist judge” and his alleged “anti-Trump ‘lawfare,'” framing the deportation block as favoring criminals. The right also emphasized that Trump was doing what the voters wanted by fighting illegal immigration.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
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Untracked Bias
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324 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
324
Leaning Left
80
Center
94
Leaning Right
47
Last Updated
3 days ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
Roberts said impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement with judicial rulings.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said.
The statement followed Trump’s social media post calling Boasberg a “troublemaker and agitator” after the judge temporarily blocked the administration from deporting a group of Venezuelan migrants.
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What led to Trump’s impeachment call?
Boasberg issued an order Saturday, March 15, halting deportations for 14 days under the Alien Enemies Act. It’s a wartime law the Trump administration invoked to expel noncitizens.
The administration had already begun flights carrying more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to Central America when the judge stepped in.
Two planes still landed in El Salvador. It led to allegations that the administration defied a court order.
Trump responded by demanding Boasberg’s impeachment, a move backed by some Republican allies.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg. He accused him of overstepping his authority.
How do impeachment proceedings work for judges?
The House impeaches and the Senate convicts federal judges to remove them from lifetime appointments.
Since the country’s founding, Congress has impeached only 15 judges, removing eight from office.
Historically, lawmakers reserve impeachment for egregious misconduct like bribery or fraud, excluding judicial decisions.
How has Roberts responded to Trump before?
This is not the first time Roberts has pushed back against Trump’s criticism of the judiciary.
In 2018, when Trump labeled a judge an “Obama judge” after an unfavorable ruling, Roberts publicly rejected the notion of partisan judges.
He 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.”
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What are the broader concerns for the judiciary?
Judicial independence has been under increasing strain as Trump and his allies ramp up attacks on judges. Federal judges recently warned of growing security risks and urged restraint in political rhetoric targeting the courts.
Roberts highlighted three key threats to judicial independence: disinformation, intimidation and threats to court rulings.
Tags: Donald Trump, Immigrant, Immigrant parole program, Immigration, Impeachment, John Roberts, migrant relief centers, migrants, Supreme Court, Tren de Aragua, Venezuela
[craig nigrelli]
IN A RARE STATEMENT — U-S SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS DEFENDED FEDERAL JUDGES WHO HAVE ISSUED DECISIONS AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION — SAYING QUOTE “IMPEACHMENT IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO DISAGREEMENT” WITH A COURT’S DECISION.
ROBERTS’ STATEMENT CAME AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP WENT ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM TUESDAY — CALLING FOR A FEDERAL JUDGE TO BE IMPEACHED AFTER THE JUDGE, JAMES BOASBERG, TEMPORARILY BLOCKED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ON SATURDAY FROM USING THE WARTIME LAW CALLED THE ALIEN ENEMIES ACT TO DETAIN AND DEPORT NON-CITIZENS. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WAS FLYING REPUTED MEMBERS OF THE VENEZUELAN GANG – TREN DE ARAGUA – OUT OF THE COUNTRY WHEN THE JUDGE ISSUED THE RESTrAINING ORDER.
THE FLIGHTS EVENTUALLY LANDED IN EL SALVADOR.
FEDERAL JUDGES ARE APPOINTED FOR LIFE AND CAN ONLY BE REMOVED FROM THE BENCH IF THEY ARE IMPEACHED BY THE HOUSE AND CONVICTED BY THE SENATE.
ONLY 15 JUDGES HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED IN U-S HISTORY — THE LAST ONE BEING IN 20-10 over bribery charges.
EIGHT OF THOSE 15 HAVE BEEN CONVICTED AND REMOVED FROM OFFICE.
Media Landscape
See how news outlets across the political spectrum are covering this story. Learn more
Left 36%
Center 43%
Right 21%
Bias Summary
- Chief Justice John Roberts rejected President Donald Trump's call to impeach Judge James Boasberg, stating that impeachment is not a proper response to disagreements over judicial decisions.
- Judge James Boasberg ordered deportation flights to return under a contested law, while Trump's administration claimed the order was unlawful.
- Roberts warned about the dangers of public officials intimidating judges, stating that such actions could provoke "dangerous reactions."
- Some congressional members are considering articles of impeachment against Judge Boasberg, reflecting ongoing tensions between the executive and judicial branches.
- No summary available because of a lack of coverage.
- Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts criticized President Trump for suggesting the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg after his ruling against deportation plans.
- Judge Boasberg blocked Trump's attempt to deport Venezuelan gang members without a hearing, stating it was against the law.
- Trump criticized Judge Boasberg, calling him a "troublemaker and agitator" in a post on Truth Social, and accused him of obstructing his immigration policies during the deportation efforts against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
- Roberts emphasized the importance of the normal appellate review process and warned against actions that could undermine judicial independence, calling the situation a "direct threat" to it, according to Marin Levy, a professor at Duke University School of Law.
Bias Comparison
Media outlets on the left
framed Roberts’ statement as a “rebuke” of Trump, emphasizing the constitutional implications of Trump’s “unhinged rant” and portraying his actions as a threat to judicial independence while highlighting the judge’s blocking of deportation flights.
Media outlets on the right
focused on the judge’s background as a “left-wing activist judge” and his alleged “anti-Trump ‘lawfare,'” framing the deportation block as favoring criminals. The right also emphasized that Trump was doing what the voters wanted by fighting illegal immigration.
Report an issue with this comparison
Bias Distribution
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Click to close
324 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
324
Leaning Left
80
Center
94
Leaning Right
47
Last Updated
3 days ago
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™
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