Chief justice says impeaching judges "not an appropriate response" to disagreement, rebuking Trump

Washington — Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare statement Tuesday defending federal judges who have issued decisions against the Trump administration, saying that "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement" with a court's decision. 

"For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," Roberts said in the statement distributed by the Supreme Court's public information office. "The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose."

Roberts' statement comes after President Trump attacked a federal district judge on Truth Social and called for his impeachment. The judge, James Boasberg, blocked the Trump administration on Saturday from using the wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport noncitizens.