Chief Justice John Roberts defended the Supreme Court's legitimacy Wednesday, insisting justices are not "political actors" even as public confidence in the institution remains near historic lows and recent rulings have dismantled decades of civil rights protections.
Speaking to a conference of judges and lawyers from the 3rd U.S. Circuit in Hershey, Pa., Roberts said, "I think, at a very basic level, people think we're making policy decisions, we're saying we think this is how things should be, as opposed to what the law provides. I think they view us as purely political actors, which I don't think is an accurate understanding of what we do." He said the court is "simply not part of the political process."
Remarks Follow Voting Rights Decision
Roberts' comments came about a week after the court handed down a decision that hollowed out the Voting Rights Act. The high court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, finding it was an unconstitutional gerrymander based on race. The decision weakened the Civil Rights era law that has increased minority representation in Congress and opened the door for more redistricting across the country that could aid Republican efforts to control the House.
Roberts said opinions are based on the Constitution, though he acknowledged disagreement with some outcomes, and added, "One thing we have to do is make decisions that are unpopular." He said criticism should focus on rulings rather than personal attacks and condemned the targeting of lower-court judges, saying, "That's not appropriate and it can lead to very serious problems."
Pattern of Conservative Rulings
His remarks came at a time of low public confidence in the court. In recent years, the conservative majority court has also handed down landmark rulings overturning the constitutional right to abortion, expanding gun rights and ending affirmative action in higher education.
High-profile criticism of judges in personal terms has come from Republican President Donald Trump, who also targeted Roberts and other justices who voted against him in the opinion that struck down tariffs the president levied under an emergency-powers law.
Why This Matters:
The Chief Justice's defense of the court's non-political nature comes as communities across the country grapple with the real-world consequences of decisions that have rolled back protections for voting rights, reproductive autonomy, and educational opportunity. The recent Voting Rights Act ruling threatens to reduce minority representation in Congress at a time when demographic diversity is increasing, potentially weakening the political voice of communities of color. With public trust in the judiciary at historic lows, the tension between the court's institutional claims of neutrality and the pattern of decisions that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations raises fundamental questions about accountability in a democratic system. The opening for additional redistricting that could favor one political party further underscores public concerns about whether judicial decisions reflect legal principles or ideological preferences, particularly when those decisions directly impact who holds political power and whose interests are represented in government.