Washington: Donald Trump may disagree with a court’s decision, but it’s not proper for him to seek action against the judge who delivered the verdict, feels US Chief Justice John Roberts.
In an unprecedented public rebuke of the US President, the chief justice rejected calls for impeaching federal judges shortly after Trump demanded the removal of a judge who ruled against his deportation plans in an immigration case.
Emphasising the importance of respecting judicial independence, Roberts said that impeachment is not a proper remedy for not agreeing with a judge’s verdict.
“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 said in a statement released by the US Supreme Court.
The chief justice’s comments came after Trump’s demand that Washington-based District Judge James Boasberg be impeached. Last week, Boasberg ordered the administration to halt the removal of alleged Venezuelan gang members, ruling against the President’s use of a rarely-invoked 18th-century law.
Trump lashed out at the judge, who he called ‘crooked’, claiming that Boasberg undermined the will of the people.
“HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY. I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump’s post further escalates his conflict with the judiciary. The President has often criticised judges, especially as they limit his efforts to expand Presidential power and impose his sweeping agenda on the federal government, reported AP.
On March 15, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, arguing that the law authorised his administration to bypass standard immigration procedures and deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang he claimed had ties to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Alien Enemies Act grants presidents the authority to deport non-citizens whose primary allegiance is to a foreign power, but only in times of war. It has only been invoked thrice in American history — during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II — when hundreds of people of Japanese, German and Italian descent were confined as prisoners.