Justice Jackson Warns of Democracy at Risk Amid Attacks on the Judiciary

At a legal forum held in Puerto Rico, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a stern warning about the mounting hostility directed at the judiciary. Without directly naming former President Donald Trump, she criticized the rising wave of political rhetoric that targets judges and threatens the democratic structure of the nation. According to Politico, Jackson emphasized that the current environment has placed judges under persistent attack and public disparagement.

Describing the hostility as anything but coincidental, Justice Jackson noted that these tactics appear to be calculated efforts meant to intimidate those serving in the judiciary. She stated that such harassment is not only a personal threat but also a broader danger to the nation’s system of governance. “The threats and harassment,” she said, “are attacks on our democracy... and they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law.”

Her pointed remarks came at a time when Trump has intensified his criticism of the judiciary, calling for the impeachment of judges who have ruled against him, issuing executive orders aimed at punishing opposing legal firms, and supporting the arrest of a state judge accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade detention. Though Jackson did not mention Trump by name, she acknowledged she was addressing “the elephant in the room.”

Coincidentally, while Jackson was making her statements, Trump continued his campaign against the judicial system during a speech at the University of Alabama. He accused judges of interfering with his presidential agenda and questioned the right to due process for undocumented immigrants, suggesting that legal protections should not extend to those who entered the country illegally.

Justice Jackson has openly opposed several of Trump’s controversial policies. In a recent immigration case, she denounced the administration’s tactics as excessively harsh, criticizing the practice of sending individuals to what she called a “notoriously brutal, foreign-run prison.” She warned that such treatment should alarm anyone who values personal freedom and constitutional rights.

In another instance, Jackson challenged the Trump administration’s move to cancel teacher training grants. She labeled the Department of Education’s approach as overly mechanical and condemned its conduct as “highly questionable,” reflecting a consistent stance against executive overreach and poorly executed policies.

Chief Justice John Roberts has also spoken out, echoing concerns about political interference in the judicial process. In a rare public statement made earlier this year, Roberts asserted that impeachment is not a legitimate response to disagreement over judicial decisions and emphasized the importance of the appellate process. Like Jackson, he avoided naming Trump directly but clearly took a stand in defense of judicial independence.