Without any hint of irony, Chief Justice John Roberts has described the rule of law as “endangered” and warned against “trashing the justices,” but in a public speech, he didn’t point fingers directly at President Donald Trump or his allies for publicly excoriating judges who’ve ruled against aspects of Trump’s agenda.
“The notion that rule of law governs is the basic proposition,” Roberts said during an appearance at Georgetown Law. “Certainly as a matter of theory, but also as a matter of practice, we need to stop and reflect every now and then how rare that is, certainly rare throughout history, and rare in the world today.”
As many legal experts express grave concern about Trump’s attacks on law firms and with several federal judges advancing inquiries into whether the administration is refusing to comply with court orders, Roberts took a longer-term view Monday. He blamed schools for shortchanging civics education and leaving students with little understanding of the structure of U.S. government or the role of the courts.
“That’s really too bad,” the chief justice told graduating students at the law school. “We’re developing a situation where a whole group of young people is growing up having no real sense about how our system of justice works.”
Yet, just last summer Roberts authored a consequential and controversial court decision that gave convicted felon Donald Trump substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of election subversion and mishandling of classified documents. Neither of those acts were conducted as part of his official duties, but Roberts gave Trump a "hall pass" anyway-- and now he is shocked at how Trump's second term is unfolding. This is your legacy, John Roberts-- shut up and sit down.
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