Chief Justice John Roberts cautioned that incendiary political rhetoric surrounding judges can produce real-world threats and violence, emphasizing the need for responsible discourse by elected officials. At a judicial conference, Roberts indirectly referenced Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer's comments that could incite danger toward judges. He has publicly rebuked both political figures for their remarks, linking their heated language to the growing risk faced by judges simply doing their jobs, especially in a polarized political environment. He underscored the responsibility leaders have to consider the repercussions of their statements on judicial safety.
It becomes wrapped up in the political dispute that a judge who's doing his or her job is part of the problem. And the danger, of course, is somebody might pick up on that.
Roberts first took issue with Trump's comments in 2018, when Roberts responded to Trump's description of a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."
In 2020, Roberts called out Schumer for remarks that Roberts termed inappropriate and threatening after the senator said Trump-nominated Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch "will pay the price" for votes in a then-pending Louisiana abortion case.
With the court on the verge of significant decisions, Roberts stressed that political figures need to remember the potential consequences their words can have on the safety of judges.
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