US Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday rebuked President Donald Trump for suggesting that the way to resolve a court dispute was by impeaching the judge.
In a statement, Roberts said that for more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreements over judicial decisions.
Roberts’ statement followed Trump’s call in a social media post on Tuesday for the impeachment of a federal judge.
Washington-based US District Judge James Boasberg had ordered the administration on Saturday to halt the removal of alleged Venezuelan gang members—a move Trump argued was authorised by an 18th-century law historically used only in wartime.
“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!!!” Trump wrote.
Roberts, a conservative appointed by Republican former President George W. Bush, previously issued a similar rebuke in 2018, when he defended the judiciary’s independence following persistent attacks by Trump during his first term in office.