--- description: President Trump escalated his criticism of "Obama judges" hours after Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts delivered a rare rebuke. title: Trump Escalates Attacks on 'Obama Judges' After Rebuke From Chief Justice image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11903116cb8f9813/69893fbffb4eac9494898475/donald-trump-judiciary-john-roberts.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [White House](/tag/white-house/) ## White House Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Trump Escalates Attacks on 'Obama Judges' After Rare Rebuke From Chief Justice  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:21 PM CUTPublished: Nov 21, 2018 10:19 PM CUT  President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters as he prepares to depart from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C for Florida where he and his family will spend the Thanksgiving holiday. President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters as he prepares to depart from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C for Florida where he and his family will spend the Thanksgiving holiday.REX/Shutterstock  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:21 PM CUTPublished: Nov 21, 2018 10:19 PM CUT President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated his criticism of the judiciary, hours after Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts delivered a [rare rebuke of the President’s rhetoric](http://time.com/5461537/john-roberts-chides-trump-obama-judge-comment/ "undefined") about a judge appointed under the Obama administration. “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” Trump said in [tweets](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065346909362143232 "undefined") Wednesday afternoon. Trump’s criticism of an “Obama judge” followed a [ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar](http://time.com/5459773/judge-blocks-asylum-ban-trump/ "undefined") on Monday. Tigar, who was appointed by Obama in 2012, temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from denying asylum to immigrants crossing the southern border illegally. In a [proclamation issued earlier this month](http://time.com/5450331/donald-trump-blocks-asylum-claims/ "undefined"), Trump said anyone crossing the southern border illegally would be ineligible for asylum. The order quickly drew legal challenges, as existing law states that anyone is eligible to apply for asylum, even if they enter the country illegally. On Wednesday, Trump railed against the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit over the asylum ruling. But the ruling came out of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, not out of the Ninth Circuit court of appeals, which is also based in San Francisco. “It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an ‘independent judiciary,’ but if it is why are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned,” Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security – these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!” The Ninth Circuit has had a [liberal reputation](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/us/25sfninth.html "undefined") that stems from Jimmy Carter appointing 15 judges to the court during his presidency. But [some experts](http://time.com/4662860/immigration-order-arguments-judges-what-to-know/ "undefined") say that reputation is now outdated. Since Carter’s presidency, the Ninth Court has expanded, but the number of Democratic appointees still exceeds the number of Republican appointees. For that reason, its decisions frequently drew criticism from Republicans, well before Trump. But Trump has amped up the rhetoric. On Wednesday, he denounced the court’s rulings as a “terrible, costly and dangerous disgrace,” criticizing the Ninth Circuit because of the rate at which its decisions have been reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. But two other circuit courts, the Sixth Circuit and the 11th Circuit, have higher rates of reversal, according to a [PolitiFact analysis in 2017](https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/feb/10/sean-hannity/no-9th-circuit-isnt-most-overturned-court-country-/ "undefined"). > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065346909362143232) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065351478347530241) Trump has [lashed out at decisions](http://time.com/4660428/donald-trump-federal-judge-blocks-immigration-order/ "undefined") by federal judges before, claiming they were politically motivated. But Wednesday’s exchange marked the first time Roberts has publicly critiqued Trump. “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 in a [statement](http://time.com/5461537/john-roberts-chides-trump-obama-judge-comment/ "undefined") earlier Wednesday. “The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.” Trump continued the feud into Thanksgiving day, posting two tweets in the morning. “Justice Roberts can say what he wants,” he said, “but the 9th Circuit is a complete & total disaster. It is out of control, has a horrible reputation, is overturned more than any Circuit in the Country.” He continued: “Judges must not Legislate Security and Safety at the Border, or anywhere else. They know nothing about it and are making our Country unsafe.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065581119242940416) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065583286188158976) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5461827/donald-trump-judiciary-chief-justice-john-roberts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5461827/donald-trump-judiciary-chief-justice-john-roberts/"},"headline":"President Trump Escalates Attacks on 'Obama Judges' After Rare Rebuke From Chief Justice","datePublished":"2018-11-21T22:19:26.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T16:21:00.000Z","description":"The criticism follows a ruling that blocked Trump's asylum ban","url":"https://time.com/5461827/donald-trump-judiciary-chief-justice-john-roberts/","keywords":["White House","Supreme Court","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11903116cb8f9813/69893fbffb4eac9494898475/donald-trump-judiciary-john-roberts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt11903116cb8f9813/69893fbffb4eac9494898475/donald-trump-judiciary-john-roberts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Donald Trump departs White House, Washington DC, USA - 20 Nov 2018","caption":"President Donald Trump departs White House, Washington DC, USA - 20 Nov 2018","creditText":"REX/Shutterstock","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5461827/donald-trump-judiciary-chief-justice-john-roberts/","name":"President Trump Escalates Attacks on 'Obama Judges' After Rare Rebuke From Chief Justice"}}]}] ```