Chief Justice John Roberts defends judiciary from 'illegitimate' attacks

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Dec. 31, 2024, 6:00 PM EST


WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday blasted what he called "illegitimate activity" aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary. While facing criticism of contentious court rulings is part of the job for judges, some recent actions have crossed the line, Roberts said in his annual end-of-year report.

He outlined four areas of concern: violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy court judgments. All four "undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable," Roberts wrote.

He did not specify many concrete examples of conduct that concern him, but the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has faced a barrage of scrutiny since the 2022 ruling to overturn decades of abortion rights in the landmark Roe v. Wade case.

That led to protests outside the homes of some justices, and one man was charged with attempted murder after being arrested outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh armed with a handgun. There has also been renewed focus on the court from Democrats in Congress, sparked in part by media reports of alleged ethics lapses from some of the justices, with a focus on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/chief-justice-john-roberts-defends-judiciary-illegitimate-attacks-rcna185884

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Link to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice REPORT (PDF) - https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/year-end/2024year-endreport.pdf

[RockRaven]

1. Your clown ass and corrupt fellows destroyed the judiciary's legitimacy, douchebag!

No supposedly bogus criticism can rival your own behavior on the scale of "illegitimacy." You dickheads are in a class of your own on that.

[Think. Again.]

2. The court's illegitimate behavior is the cause of the illegitimate reactions.

[Seinan Sensei]

15. Illegitimate is as illegitimate does

[Tarzanrock]

3. When 4 members of a 9 member Court are credibly accused of taking and accepting "bribes" ...

... from rich fucks; special interests; and, corrupt corporations -- their "leader" probably shouldn't be publicly whining about "illegitimacy." Roberts, you would be a little bit more "believable" if a disingeneous hypocrite like yourself would actually do something about the criminal corruption in your own Court. The last time I looked at Federal Criminal statutes -- taking and accepting "bribes" was a Federal Crime punishable under the Federal Statutes. In fact, the unlawfulness and wrongfulness of taking bribes is right there in Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution. Say there, Mr. Chief Justice, maybe you should publicly report this criminal conduct to the FBI and to the Attorney General and the U.S. Justice Deparment and personally and vociferously publicly demand criminal indictments of those member Justices of your own Court who are credibly accused of engaging in this ongoing criminal behavior?

[milestogo]

51. This is what he should be worried about.

[C_U_L8R]

4. The path to SC legitimacy

Begins with returning the gifts and bribes and punishing those who both gave and took them. Anything less is just whiny Chief Justice lip flappery.

[NewJeffCT]

36. But, according to the current SCOTUS

it's almost impossible to bribe a political official now - you need a recording or an email that specifically says "this is a bribe in exchange for XXX"

[Buddyzbuddy]

5. Justice Roberts is an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp

I presume he's not including the Heritage Foundation or Harlan Crow as illegitimate activity. Or the acceptance of gifts by more than one justice on the Robert's court or the refusal to recuse themselves when obvious conflicts of interest are in play. The rule of law is dying at your hands under your control. Self policing is not working. Certain justices are responsible for delegitimizing your court.
What reaction by society is expected when one spouse of a justice openly supports an insurrection of the very government whose laws are sworn to be upheld and protected by her husband under the guise of free speech. And if that isn't enough, that justice refuses to recuse himself on more than one occasion in clear conflicts of interest. Your court is out of control, drunk on power, greed and lack of ethics and you have the gall to defend that which is indefensible.
This isn't about a few bad decisions, this is about overturning settled law and a flurry of bad decisions using reasoning that would make an acrobatic contortionist proud. Your court is legislating from the bench. We should accept that seal team 6 could be ordered to kill by the president whomever he or she chooses and they would be immune. Hitler couldn't have been more proud.

[Macrophylla]

6. So it gets under his skin you say..

That sounds like a problem of his own making. It doesn't address the damage he has done to the courts....it illuminates it. He deserves all the scorn that is given.

A stuck pig will squeal loudly
So squeal like a piggy boy!

[Old Crank]

7. When you do nothing to stop the members of your court

From grabbing all the goodies they can it is hard to claim illegitimate attacks.

[Irish_Dem]

8. The US SC is corrupt and cruel, and deserves no respect.

[perdita9]

9. Supreme Court takes bribes and plays politics

Trump is a convicted felon and should not have been allowed to run for office but Roberts and crew continually reinterpret the constitution to favor their conservative friends. Our courts are losing their legitimacy.

[Just Jerome]

10. "...undermining the independence of the judiciary..."

[BoRaGard]

11. You want a legitimate attack?

You are a pack of corrupt and grifty G.O.P. posers,

[Hugin]

12. What goes around, comes around, Bob. n/t

[Midnight Writer]

13. Maybe he should be more "concerned" about an incoming President who wants to suspend the Constitution.

"Threats to defy court judgements" is Trump's middle name.

And who is the King of Violence, Intimidation, and Misinformation?

[Tarzanrock]

14. Who among us ...

... hasn’t had someone buy us a luxury "house" and pay off all our massive credit card indebtedness? Who doesn’t have a “friend” who gives them a $270,000 motor home and pays the tuition for one of their distant relatives? Who hasn’t had an expensive European vacation to Rome and Italy by a private jet with all expenses paid? How many of us have had expensive “fishing vacations” to remote regions of Alaska; California; Wyoming and Montana where we flew there by private Jet and stayed for free at luxury resorts? How many of us have had the opportunity to fly by private jet to the South Pacific or to the Caribbean for “free” where we enjoyed vacationing on luxury yachts with all the amenities while we “island hopped” in luxury? Who hasn’t had the opportunity to sell one or more of their “properties” to someone at "super-inflated property prices" well above fair market price to someone who is seeking a business opportunity with us?

[Botany]

21. Or have a spouse paid something like $10 million in bribes to influence your work.

I believe Mrs. John Roberts was paid that much to help pick lawyers who went
on to argue cases in front of the SCOTUS.

[Vinca]

16. Independence of the judiciary? Who is he kidding? How many shares does Harlan own?

[oasis]

17. Can't stand the heat? Get the hell out of the kitchen.

[wolfie001]

18. Repulsive religious corporate whores. All 6 of them

Expect the worse from those clowns. How's that for "Decorum". I'm still much kinder and more empathetic than your average sub-IQ 90 trump-humper though.

[Botany]

19. Attn Chief Justice Roberts: Eat shit and die.

“ threats to defy court judgments “.

Such as going against one of the corner stones of our nation’s democratic underpinnings and
that is no man is above the law, which is exactly what you and the SCOTUS did with Trump in ruling
that as President he immunity from criminal prosecution for what he did.

The 14th Amendment Article 3 stated explicitly that Trump should never have been allowed to
run and or serve as POTUS or that his theft and dissemination of our Nation’s top secrets should
have been criminally prosecuted. We executed 2 people for doing just that the Rosenbergs and
another man just died in our Federal Supermax Prison in Colorado doing 15 life terms, FBI Agent
Robert Hansen for doing exactly what Trump did.

[LymphocyteLover]

22. Seriously. Roberts is a Supreme Asshole (putting it mildly)

[Botany]

23. And he has been getting millions in bribes via his wife too.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/01/31/chief-justice-roberts-wife-is-latest-supreme-court-spouse-to-spark-ethics-concerns/

Jane Sullivan Roberts, a legal recruiter, has earned “millions” in commissions for recruiting attorneys for jobs at law firms, which include firms that have cases before the Supreme Court, her former colleague Kendal Price said, according to a letter obtained by the Times.

Snip

The chief justice has never recused himself from a case due to his wife and does not disclose her clients or earnings on financial disclosures, according to the Times, only reporting her salary but not commissions—but Price argued that’s misleading, as commissions “depend on cultivating and capitalizing on relationships in order to consummate particular deals.”

[LymphocyteLover]

64. the corruption form this court is off the freaking charts

[wolfie001]

70. His wife's in on the take too

Both are shit

[Botany]

71. John Roberts also worked on rat fucking America with bush v Gore too.

[J_William_Ryan]

20. '"...undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable," Roberts wrote.'

What undermines our Republic and is wholly unacceptable is a blind partisan Court dominated by conservative ideologues who ignore 50 years of settled, accepted case law in favor of partisan rightwing dogma.

Contempt for this Court is perfectly appropriate and warranted.

[Mr. Mustard 2023]

24. Because Bush v. Gore...

Citizens United, and numerous gun worshipping cases where "states do not have standing" then when abortion comes "states laws are paramount".

Sure John Roberts...it's "us not you".... got it.

[Irish_Dem]

25. Roberts is the one who is illegitimate.

A corrupt, greedy, shameless liar, and fraud.

Pretends to be a leader and an American judge who follows rule of law
and the US Constitution.

[Scalded Nun]

26. "It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy,"

No it is not...You are correct.

You just need to appease your owners, and the corrupt 6 SCOTUS justices know that very well, and follow that mandate to the letter.

[Historic NY]

27. Anywhere else a committees on Judiciary would have them sanctioned or removed

for acts/

[CousinIT]

29. And women will defend themselves against the Court's illegitimate attacks on their bodies

EXPECT IT, jackass. And no, I am not referring to violence against the court, but women WILL GET ABORTIONS one way or another. You can't stop them.

You can only be the assholes that ensure they die from them or for lack of them when they can't get one.

AND FOR THAT, you get ZERO sympathy from me about whatever happens. You brought it on yourself.

[uncledad]

30. He did not specify many concrete examples of conduct that concern him

Then what is the point? If you have concerns then let's here them otherwise why bring them up? I thought you were a judge.

[jvill]

46. These are not judges that care about evidence...

That much is clear. Roberts and the GQP rest are just politicians in robes, lying like they breathe.

[bronxiteforever]

31. The list: Money is free speech, Corporations are people

women’s bodies are the property of the state, clean air belongs to corporations, ethics are required for the little people only, the Courts’ control all regulations and guns are a right but not education or healthcare.

He wants respect for the Courts? He has been responsible for turning the Supreme Court into a wholly owned subsidiary of the GOP. Respect died in a blizzard of Leonard Leo and Federalist Society money.

[TBF]

32. Who knew that taking away a person's bodily autonomy would create friction -

maybe, John, you should think about who is really undermining our Republic. And when you trundle in to see our former President Carter lying in State, I'd like you to remember that Carter has more dignity and respect in his little finger than you have shown in your entire time on the Supreme Court.

[dalton99a]

33. In other words, don't call the supreme court a little whorehouse

It is the Supreme Whorehouse

[Granny Blue]

69. I think whores are much more honest than Supreme Asshole John Roberts and his GOP buddies

Whores willingly provide a stated service for a stated price to willing patrons. John Roberts and Co are lying thieving traitorous snakes selling out our country and the citizens who pays their salaries. Big difference!

[NNadir]

34. This right wing thug with no respect for the US Constitution can go fuck himself. Worst Chief Justice Since...

Roger Taney.

Taney, if you recall, is the Chief Justice who declared human beings to be farm animals, leading to the US Civil War.

[turbinetree]

35. Hey Johnny got two........... not one fucking question to ask you..............

ever read the 14th Amendment...............about assholes and insurrection being disqualified from running for office........maybe you were out on that day /class having a fucking right wing beer on how to keep some asshole on the state ballot to run for office so that he can stand at a fucking insurrection podium telling people to over throw a duly elected government that was elected by the people and for the people and that a state /Colorado upon looking at that evidence said that that asshole should be disqualified..........but you and your gang said nope insurrectionists are allowed to be on a ballot because the 14th amendment doesn't mean shit does it Johnny.......... and the all time favorite is some asshole taking classified documents and placing them on a some residents home toilet so that he can show said documents to his fascist dictator buddies and say lookie see what I got and I got some federal judge that I appointed saying and running interference for me so that I can continue the crime and then your gang comes along and says yepper you sure can...............because our members get kick backs from billionaires to do there bidding when they have cases going before your court...................and then you have the audacity to lay this at the public trough as not being subservient to your rulings and being proud of them.................ever hear or read the ruling on Chevron or were you out that day also..............you know water who needs stinking clean water..............right Johnny......maybe you should go up to Evansville Wyoming and see what the oil refiners did to the ground water and the platte river...........


eat me johnny

[Wonder Why]

37. Got the words misplaced in title. Should be:

Chief Justice John Roberts defends 'illegitimate' judiciary from attacks

I've said it before. History will remember the current SCOTUS as the worst ever. It will be used as an example of what not to do when selecting SCOTUS Justices and why a strict code of ethics is required and enforced.

[patphil]

38. For almost two decades, Justice Roberts stood by and watched Justices Thomas and Alito take bribes.

He did nothing to protect the honor of the court; letting them enrich themselves through the likes of Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo.
And now he has the nerve to talk about the activities of other people undermining the independence of the judiciary.
Roberts has done as much as anyone to undermine the independence of the judiciary by allowing two of his fellow justices to be purchased by people with right wing agendas.
As a result of this politically partisan court, we have seen decisions that have undermined the election process, and relegated woman to the status of second class citizens.
Of course, there have been others, but these two decisions have gone a long way toward undermining the freedoms we hold dear.

Roberts has no right to speak about people disrespecting the courts, since he, and his fellow republican justices, have done so very much to engender that attitude in the general public.

[republianmushroom]

39. Morals, ethics, only 3 out of the 9 of the justices seems to have them.

47 months and counting.

[Orrex]

40. Sounds like he's welcoming attacks as long as they're legitimate.

Well, I'm not going to go against the head honcho of the SCOTUS, after all.

[ananda]

41. Boy, he's way more compromised than I ever expected him to be!

Maybe bc of his wife.

[generalbetrayus]

42. If he thinks he's upset now, wait until Orange Julius Caesar is President and sends his goons over to the SCOTUS

to inform the justices that their services will not be needed for the duration of his Presidency.

[jvill]

45. The justices will be retained at props...

[bluestarone]

43. He speaks out now that he knows

Protection is on it's way for the next 4 fucking years.

[Sessuch]

49. Johnny the democracy killer

Who cares what Johnny has to say. His court doesn’t speak doesn’t truth.

[jvill]

44. John Roberts: "But justices taking MILLIONS in BRIBES is cool."

Next up, Brett Kavanaugh provides tips on "How to get teenagers drunk at your house..."

[dlk]

47. Selective outrage, how Republican

Roberts conveniently ignores the legitimate attacks on the judiciary and the rampant corruption of the conservative justices on the court, including his own.

[Dan]

48. Roberts is like a sexual predator

That complains he got the Clap.

[ificandream]

50. The so-called "independence" of SCOTUS has been done in by corruption that started at the top.

Roberts has no one to blame but himself.

[live love laugh]

52. Fuck Roberts

He outlined four areas of concern: violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy court judgments. All four "undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable," Roberts wrote.

[William769]

53. The American people needs to be defended from the Supreme Court 'illegitimate' attacks on our constitutional rights!

[CanonRay]

54. Deaf, dumb, and blind.

[tonekat]

55. Roberts has some effing crust!

This bag of pus is an insult to all citizens.

[malthaussen]

56. The bribery, though, is legitimate and welcome, and therefore not an area of concern. n/t

[4catsmom]

57. Village idiot is angry

that village knows he's an idiot

[rsdsharp]

58. We wouldn't have to engage in "illegitimate" attacks

if you weren’t all bastards.

[IbogaProject]

59. How about how the lopsided Senate doesnt represent us accurately?

Sorry dude you have occasionally been less odious than your fellow GOP peers but you have still ruled against due process and individual autonomy far too often. What is so complicated about a woman should have the most to say about her life when facing a life threatening choice?

[Martin68]

60. Most of the violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy court judgments comes from MAGA. The left

mainly criticizes based on facts and intelligent analysis, and tries to work through Congress and the statelegisltures to make changes democratically.

[DallasNE]

61. Legal Reporter Chris Geidner Summarizes It Well

He basically says Roberts uses strawman tactics to attack court critics when the real issue is the corruption on the Court by the likes of Alito and Thomas.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/chilling-expert-slams-chief-justice-john-roberts-report-as-disingenuous/ar-AA1wMGYJ?ocid=socialshare&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3VtJfeeRSiPtvTO1YFfQTExiirPvS-1VSO5N4b4u03L5-zVUKTZcxuGr8_aem_P9nz6mjM74_VFKdDAdgEHg

[AllaN01Bear]

62. hem

[Quanto Magnus]

63. Corrupt Judges

are going to act corrupt.

Roberts is one of those....

[KY_EnviroGuy]

65. Reminds me of the arsonist who watches the fire from a distance.

Roberts, McConnell et. al. watching American society from inside their gated and guarded communities.

Quote: "Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Unfortunately, our current Supreme Court lives in houses made of frosted glass.

KY.........

[Ruby the Liberal]

66. Criticism of your actions doesn't "undermine the Republic" you egotistical asshole

You and your corrupt cabal have earned every ounce of disrespect, cynicism and disgust coming your way.

[Mysterian]

67. Your corrupt court gave us Citizens United,

the most disastrous, criminal decision in the court's history.

[eppur_se_muova]

68. I hereby solemnly swear I will only subject the Roberts court to legitimate attacks.

In other words, no plans to change.

[City Lights]

72. Roberts can pound sand.

He is a huge part of the problem.