Chief Justice Roberts calls attention to judicial threats in year-end report
Chief Justice John Roberts warned about threats to judicial independence in his annual report.
In his 2024 year-end report Tuesday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts cautioned against four types of “illegitimate activity” that threaten the independence of judges and the rule of law.
“There is of course no place for violence directed at judges for doing their job,” Roberts said in his report, the 20th he has issued since becoming chief justice in 2005.
Yet the number of threats and hostile communications aimed at judges has more than tripled in the past 10 years, Roberts said, citing data from the United States Marshals Service. He also said the federal law enforcement agency investigated more than 1,000 serious threats in the last five years alone.
“It is regrettable that law enforcement officers must now dedicate significant additional resources to protecting judges, tracking and investigating threats against them, and prosecuting those who cross the line between lawful criticism and unlawful threats or actions,” Roberts wrote.
Intimidation also threatens judicial independence and can take many forms, including “doxing,” the act of revealing personal information about someone online without their consent, Roberts said. This has led to angry or profane calls and unsolicited visits to judges’ homes, he said.
Roberts added that public officials have attempted to intimidate judges by suggesting they have a political bias without any credible evidence for those allegations.
“Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed,” Roberts wrote. “Public officials certainly have a right to criticize the work of the judiciary, but they should be mindful that intemperance in their statements when it comes to judges may prompt dangerous reactions by others.”
In addition to violence and intimidation, disinformation undermines confidence in the judicial system, Roberts said. The “modern disinformation problem” is exacerbated by social media—which quickly spreads rumors and false or distorted information—and hostile foreign actors who increasingly are attacking all branches of the U.S. government, he said.
Roberts, who has called for renewed attention to civic education, noted in his report that “the bench, bar and academy” have helped combat misinformation by writing and speaking more about the role and responsibilities of courts.
Defying lawfully entered judgments is the final threat to the independence of judges that Roberts identified in his 2024 year-end report.
“It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy,” Roberts wrote. “Most cases have a winner and a loser. Every administration suffers defeats in the court system—sometimes in cases with major ramifications for executive or legislative power or other consequential topics.”
But elected officials from all parties “have raised the specter of open disregard” for court decisions in the past few years, Roberts said.
“These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected,” he wrote.
The Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, Politico, Reuters and Law.com have more coverage of Roberts’ report.
