--- title: Meet John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump description: Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump. canonical: https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-03-19T17:26:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:50:59.077Z article:section: Politics og:title: Meet John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump og:description: Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump. og:url: https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta328a631ea45966c/6998c50647fe51833955b879/John-Roberts-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6775 og:image:height: 3811 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Delivers Joint Address To Congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meet John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump twitter:description: Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta328a631ea45966c/6998c50647fe51833955b879/John-Roberts-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What to Know About John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ae72abc9-39e8-4690-a154-c3a45fe5bb51&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Deportations Set Up Crucial Test For Courts, as Some Warn of Constitutional Crisis [Watch (HLS stream): Deportations Set Up Crucial Test For Courts, as Some Warn of Constitutional Crisis](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/L6NHMl7H.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2025-03-18. The Trump Administration appeared to openly defy multiple court orders over the weekend, deepening concerns among Democrats and legal experts that the constitutional crisis many feared when President Donald Trump was elected has now arrived._  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Mar 19, 2025 5:26 PM UTC The Trump Administration appeared to openly defy multiple court orders over the weekend, deepening concerns among Democrats and legal experts that the constitutional crisis many feared when President Donald Trump was elected has now arrived.  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Mar 19, 2025 5:26 PM UTC In July 2024, Chief Justice John Roberts penned one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions of President Donald Trump’s political career. In [a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines](https://time.com/6994189/supreme-court-donald-trump-presidential-immunity-decision/), Roberts and the court’s conservative majority established that Presidents can enjoy broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts—a decision that provided Trump with a crucial legal shield as he campaigned to return to the White House. The ruling effectively delayed one of Trump’s most serious criminal cases related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, contributing to the political landscape that allowed his re-election bid to thrive. But on Tuesday, after weeks of silence, Roberts took a markedly different stance. In a rare move, he issued a public statement pushing back against Trump’s escalating attacks on federal judges who have ruled against his Administration—just hours after [Trump called for the impeachment](https://time.com/7269156/trump-judge-boasberg-impeach/) of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg over a ruling blocking a key deportation policy. “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 wrote, according to the Associated Press. His words, measured but firm, represented a striking contrast to his previous willingness to bolster Trump’s legal arguments. The moment highlighted the complex and sometimes contradictory role Roberts has played in Trump’s political and legal battles. As the leader of the judiciary, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005, he has, at times, enabled Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power. Yet, as Trump’s attacks on judges have grown more incendiary, Roberts appears increasingly compelled to push back. Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump: ## A history of enabling Trump's legal shield Roberts’ tenure as Chief Justice has coincided with some of the most tumultuous legal battles involving a sitting President. Despite his reputation as an institutionalist committed to preserving the court’s legitimacy, Roberts has frequently authored or joined opinions that benefited Trump’s political and legal standing. In 2018, he cast the decisive vote in [upholding Trump’s controversial travel ban](https://time.com/5048919/trump-travel-ban-supreme-court/) on several majority-Muslim countries. More recently, in March 2024, his [court issued a unanimous decision](https://time.com/6837476/supreme-court-donald-trump-ballot-colorado/) blocking state-level efforts to bar Trump from the ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause—a ruling that secured Trump’s path to renomination. But no decision was more consequential than last year’s ruling on presidential immunity. By siding with Trump’s argument that former Presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for official acts, Roberts’ court delayed legal proceedings that could have put Trump on trial before the 2024 election. The decision drew sharp [criticism from legal experts](https://time.com/6994189/supreme-court-donald-trump-presidential-immunity-decision/) who warned that it effectively placed the presidency above the law, granting future occupants of the office unprecedented protection from accountability. Trump, for his part, appeared to recognize the significance of the ruling. As he exited a joint session of Congress earlier this month, [cameras captured him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo%5FuknQLZog&ab%5Fchannel=PBSNewsHour) warmly thanking Roberts. “Thank you again. Won’t forget it,” the President said. While Trump later insisted [on his social media platform, Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114113510529624746), that he was referring to Roberts’ role in swearing him in as President, the moment fueled speculation that the President saw Roberts as an ally in his legal battles. **Read More**: [_Will the Supreme Court Preserve the Rule of Law?_ ](https://time.com/6994189/supreme-court-donald-trump-presidential-immunity-decision/) ## A rare rebuke to Trump's judiciary attacks Despite his past decisions aiding Trump’s legal defenses, Roberts has also taken pains to push back when Trump directly undermines the judiciary’s independence. His statement on Tuesday was not the first time he has publicly criticized Trump for attacking judges. In 2018, after Trump dismissed a federal judge as an “Obama judge” following a ruling against his asylum policy, Roberts issued an [uncharacteristically direct response](https://time.com/5461827/donald-trump-judiciary-chief-justice-john-roberts/). “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,” he said at the time. Trump dismissed Roberts’ latest statement on Tuesday night during a [Fox News interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDu9mDjXfqs&ab%5Fchannel=FoxNews). “He didn’t mention my name in his statement,” Trump said of Roberts, suggesting that he could have been referring to other people who have called for Judge Boasberg to be impeached. Prior to Roberts’ intervention, Trump [called](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114183576937425149) Boasberg “a Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama,” after he blocked his Administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. **Read More**: [_John Roberts Named on TIME100's Most Influential People of 2020 List_](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888317/john-roberts/) ## A judiciary under siege in Trump's second term As Trump’s presidency unfolds, the courts remain one of the few institutions capable of checking his expansive use of executive power. Since taking office again in January, Trump has pushed an aggressive legal agenda that has triggered a flurry of lawsuits. His Administration’s frequent losses in lower courts have seemingly fueled Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, with some conservative allies in Congress introducing articles of impeachment against multiple judges, including Boasberg. Impeaching a judge would require 67 votes in the Senate, which means Republicans and Democrats would both have to support it. Roberts, as the head of the federal judiciary, has been facing mounting pressure to protect the courts from political interference. With a lifetime appointment, it remains to be seen whether the 70-year-old Chief Justice will take further steps to defend judicial independence as Trump continues his broadsides against the judiciary. ## Transcript Legal experts we've spoken to say that a constitutional crisis is unfolding when President Trump took office. Constitutional law experts noted that he was expanding the powers of the presidency beyond the limits set by the Constitution. For example, when he set out to fire federal workers and eliminate government agencies, he was stepping on the power of the purse that the Constitution gives to Congress. And in recent days, as he's moved forward with his deportation policy, he has ignored judicial orders to put a hold on deportation flights and other deportation actions. This played out on Saturday, when a federal judge told the Trump administration to turn around deportation flights that were heading to El Salvador. Trump administration appears to have ignored those orders, and now President Trump is calling for the impeachment of the judge who gave those orders. This drew a rare rebuke from the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts and John Roberts said very pointedly that impeachment is not a recourse for people who disagree with the judicial order, that there's an appeals process for that. This has set up a battle between President Trump, who takes an expansive view of things he can do as president, and the other two branches of government, the judicial branch, which so far has tried to rein in some of Trump's actions. And Congress, which is run by the Republicans and so far has not stood up to Trump stepping on its constitutional authority. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/"},"headline":"What to Know About John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump","datePublished":"2025-03-19T17:26:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:50:59.077Z","description":"Here’s what to know about Chief Justice John Roberts and his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump.","url":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/","keywords":["Supreme Court","Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta328a631ea45966c/6998c50647fe51833955b879/John-Roberts-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta328a631ea45966c/6998c50647fe51833955b879/John-Roberts-Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump Delivers Joint Address To Congress","caption":"Donald Trump Delivers Joint Address To Congress","creditText":"Win McNamee—Getty Images","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/supreme-court/","name":"Supreme Court"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/","name":"What to Know About John Roberts, the Chief Justice Challenging Trump"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Deportations Set Up Crucial Test For Courts, as Some Warn of Constitutional Crisis","description":"The Trump Administration appeared to openly defy multiple court orders over the weekend, deepening concerns among Democrats and legal experts that the constitutional crisis many feared when President Donald Trump was elected has now arrived.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/L6NHMl7H/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-03-18T19:29:07.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/L6NHMl7H.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/","duration":"PT1M26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7269526/john-roberts-chief-justice-supreme-court-donald-trump-history/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```