President Trump shot back at Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after he offered a rare rebuke of Trump’s comments on federal judges, telling him “Obama judges” do exist and urging him to “study the numbers” on the rulings from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that are overturned.
“Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an ‘independent judiciary,’ but if it is why are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned.”
“Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security — these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!” the president continued.
Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have “Obama judges,” and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country. It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an “independent judiciary,” but if it is why……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018
…..are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security – these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018
Trump was responding to a statement Roberts issued earlier in the day, in which the chief justice defended the federal judiciary and criticized Trump for comments about a California judge who blocked his administration’s new asylum policy.
“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts said in his statement. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”
“That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for,” Roberts added.
Trump called the judge, Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, an “Obama judge” while speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday. He also called the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has ruled against a number of his administration’s policies, a “disgrace.”
“The 9th Circuit, we’re going to have to look at that. Because every case, no matter where it is, they file it — practically, I mean practically, for all intents and purposes — they file it in what’s called the 9th Circuit,” Trump told reporters. “This was an Obama judge. And I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to happen like this anymore.”
The president also said he was “going to put in a major complaint” against Tigar.
