Chief justice warns against defying Supreme Court
In his report, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts noted that public officials keep threatening to ignore lawful court rulings
What happened
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts released his annual end-of-year report on the judiciary Tuesday, warning that judges are facing increasing threats of violence and intimidation as public officials threaten to ignore lawful court rulings.
Who said what
"Violence, intimidation and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our republic, and are wholly unacceptable," Roberts wrote. Officials "from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings," and "these dangerous suggestions" must be "soundly rejected."
Roberts didn't name any officials, and some Democrats have "toyed publicly with declining to enforce court decisions," CNN said. But his report arrived weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has "repeatedly decried the federal judiciary as rigged." The warning was an "unmistakable — and well-deserved — swipe" at Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, a Yale Law graduate who has recently made several "reckless suggestions" about Trump ignoring federal court rulings, Ruth Marcus said at The Washington Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
After a series of polarizing rulings and ethics controversies, "public confidence in the judiciary as a whole has collapsed" and "approval of the Supreme Court remains mired near record lows," the Post said, citing recent Gallup polling.
-
The Mandelson files: Labour Svengali’s parting gift to StarmerThe Explainer Texts and emails about Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could fuel biggest political scandal ‘for a generation’
-
Magazine printables - February 13, 2026Puzzle and Quizzes Magazine printables - February 13, 2026
-
Heated Rivalry, Bridgerton and why sex still sells on TVTalking Point Gen Z – often stereotyped as prudish and puritanical – are attracted to authenticity
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
Can anyone stop Donald Trump?Today's Big Question US president ‘no longer cares what anybody thinks’ so how to counter his global strongman stance?
-
How robust is the rule of law in the US?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION John Roberts says the Constitution is ‘unshaken,’ but tensions loom at the Supreme Court
