Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said Thursday that politicians’ invective will not stop judges from doing their work.
“We’re certainly not above criticism — it’s a free country,” Roberts said, according to the Associated Press. “It certainly doesn’t affect how we go about our job.” Roberts commented on criticism from politicians while answering questions at the University of Melbourne’s law school in Australia.
President Trump issued blistering criticism of Roberts during the 2016 presidential campaign, including referring to Roberts as an “absolute disaster” and a “disgrace.”
Roberts has not publicly commented on Trump’s criticism of him and has met Trump multiple times since he won the 2016 election. Roberts and the president met shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January, and Trump visited the high court in June 2017 and met with all of the justices ahead of formal ceremonies for Justice Neil Gorsuch’s addition to the Supreme Court.
The chief justice’s remarks about judges’ handling of criticism comes as the Supreme Court gears up for a term that will hear high-profile controversies such as Trump’s travel ban, which was scheduled Wednesday for oral arguments on Oct. 10 and 11.
Roberts skirted discussion of contentious issues while in Australia, including the high court’s decision to uphold Obamacare. Roberts reportedly said that the Supreme Court’s written opinions speak for themselves.
