Verbal Confrontation Between Trump and Chief Justice of the United States

The President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in the country, have exchanged critical remarks in a rare occurrence. The dispute between Donald Trump and John Roberts began after the President referred to one of the judges who ruled against his immigration policies as an 'Obama judge' on November 20. Chief Justice Roberts, who was appointed by Republicans, rejected Trump's comments, stating on November 21, 'We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges; we do not have Bush judges or Clinton judges.' Roberts was referring to the former and current Presidents who are responsible for nominating their chosen judges for the Supreme Court, who must then be confirmed by the Senate. On the eve of Thanksgiving, a national holiday in the U.S., Roberts emphasized, 'The independence of the judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.' Trump, on the other hand, reacted to these remarks by questioning the independence of federal judges appointed by previous presidents and confirmed by the Senate. He tweeted, 'Chief Justice John Roberts, sorry, you really do have 'Obama judges' and they have very different views compared to those responsible for our country's security.' This is not the first time Donald Trump has criticized a judge or judges in the country. For instance, in February 2017, he described a judge's ruling against his immigration order as 'ridiculous' and referred to the judge as a 'so-called judge.' During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump also criticized Roberts for his pivotal vote on Obama’s healthcare law in 2012, which effectively prevented the repeal of that law at the time.