In a rare public statement, Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked President Donald Trump’s call for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who had recently issued a ruling against the administration’s deportation plans. Roberts emphasized that impeachment is reserved for severe ethical or criminal misconduct, not for disagreements over judicial decisions.
The controversy began when Judge Boasberg ordered a temporary halt to the deportation of Venezuelan nationals labeled by the administration as gang members. The judge’s decision challenged the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, typically invoked during wartime, to expedite these deportations without standard legal proceedings.
Responding to the ruling, President Trump took to social media, labeling Judge Boasberg a “troublemaker” and advocating for his impeachment.
“I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
This prompted Chief Justice Roberts to issue a statement defending judicial independence, asserting that impeachment is not an appropriate response to judicial decisions.
In a statement issued by the court, Roberts said that impeachment isn’t an appropriate response to disagreements with judges’ rulings.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” he said.
Legal experts caution that attempts to impeach judges over their rulings could undermine judicial independence and disrupt the balance of powers. Historically, impeachment of federal judges has been reserved for cases involving serious ethical or criminal misconduct, with only 15 judges impeached in U.S. history, the most recent in 2010.
Trump has long attacked judges whom he perceives as his enemies, but Tuesday’s comments mark an escalation as Trump tries to circumvent the judiciary.