Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson condemned the Trump administration on Thursday for attacking judges in an effort to sway court rulings.
“Across the nation, judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence, but also professional retaliation just for doing our jobs,” Jackson said while addressing a group of judges gathered for a conference in Puerto Rico, according to The New York Times.
“And the attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity,” she said, without naming President Trump.
A slew of court battles over wrongful deportation measures, attempts to dismantle federal departments and free speech have put Trump publicly at odds with federal judges.
“The threats and harassment are attacks on our democracy, on our system of government. And they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law,” she said, according to Politico.
She encouraged her colleagues to push ahead in the face of government scrutiny.
“I do know that loneliness. It is very stressful to have to decide difficult cases in the spotlight and under pressure,” she said to a room full of applause.
“It can sometimes take raw courage to remain steadfast in doing what the law requires.”
Her words come just over a month after Chief Justice John Roberts scolded the Trump administration for suggesting a judge be impeached for not issuing a ruling in their favor.
“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.
His clash with the administration was prefaced by a similar rebuke in 2018 after Trump denounced a judge who ruled against one of his immigration policies as a biased “Obama judge.”
“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.
Jackson said the pressures of a second Trump administration compare to past legal turning points, including the civil rights movement and Watergate scandal.
“Other judges have faced challenges like the ones we face today and have prevailed,” she said.
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