John Roberts scolds Trump in rare public statement

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public statement Tuesday in an apparent rebuke of President Donald Trump, who has called for the impeachment of a federal district judge after he attempted to block the deportation of Venezuelan gang members in the U.S. illegally.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ scolding came shortly after Trump unleashed a statement on Truth Social blasting Judge James E. Boasberg, who has served as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since 2023.

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“This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President — He didn’t WIN the popular VOTE (by a lot!), he didn’t WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, he didn’t WIN 2,750 to 525 Counties, HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY,” Trump said.

Trump went on to call for Boasberg’s impeachment.

“I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” the president added.

Former President George W. Bush appointed Boasberg as an associate judge of the D.C. Superior Court in 2002, and former President Barack Obama nominated him to the D.C. District Court in 2011.

Boasberg has been front-and-center in the news since he blocked Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals who are in the U.S. illegally on Saturday.

The administration claims the deportees are members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

While the deportees were in the air, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order demanding that the administration turn around aircraft deporting the alleged gang members to El Salvador. The administration is arguing that Boasberg’s ruling did not apply because the airplane was over international waters at the time.

Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, filed articles of impeachment against Boasberg in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

“He is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from office,” Gill said.

???? I just introduced Articles of Impeachment against radical activist Judge James Boasberg.

He is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from office. pic.twitter.com/MO6UjQ6wBb

— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) March 18, 2025

Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee who likened judges to “umpires” with “a limited role” during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing in 2005, has publicly rebuked Trump before.

In 2018, he issued a statement after Trump went after Judge Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Trump dismissed him as an “Obama judge” after he blocked the administration from enforcing a rule that would deny asylum to anyone who entered the U.S. from somewhere other than a designated port of entry.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them,” Roberts said at the time.

Boasberg’s injunction and the administration’s response have set off a firestorm of debate regarding the separation of powers and the limits of both judicial and executive authority under the U.S. Constitution.

During an appearance Monday on CNN, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller explained the legal reasoning behind the president’s use of the 18th century law, which Miller argued applies because the U.S. is experiencing an invasion by alien criminal gangs “at the direction of the Venezuelan government.”

WATCH IN FULL: White House Deputy Chief of Staff @StephenM schools Fake News CNN’s @kasie on the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/2TMnKyBLwk

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 17, 2025

Miller also maintained that federal district court judges do not have the authority to restrict the president’s use of executive power to repel invasion.

“When the president is exercising his Article II powers to defend the country against an invasion, or to repel a foreign terrorist that is unlawfully in the country, he is exercising his powers as commander-in-chief,” Miller said CNN anchor Kasie Hunt attempted to interrupt him.

“The district court has no ability to in any way restrain the president’s authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, or simply to conduct the foreign affairs of the United States,” Miller later added.

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, part of the broader Alien and Sedition Acts signed into law by former President John Adams, has been invoked significantly only three times in U.S. history, all during wartime. It was used against British nationals during the War of 1812, against German nationals during World War I, and against German, Japanese and Italian nationals during World War II.

The U.S. transported 261 illegals to El Salvador, including 137 deported under the Alien Enemies Act, 101 Venezuelans deported via Title 8, and 23 MS-13 gang members, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday during a press briefing.