While federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump’s plans are being criticized, Chief Justice John Roberts said on Wednesday that judges need to be independent to “control what Congress or the executive branch does too much of.”

"Judicial independence is very important," said Roberts, who is the head of the Supreme Court and the whole federal court system, at a meeting of judges and lawyers in his hometown.

He said that the Constitution's only new idea was creating three equal parts of government, and this idea doesn't function well if the courts are not independent.

The 70-year-old chief justice mostly said things he had said before. But his comments, when another federal judge asked him questions, were applauded by the 600 people who came together to celebrate the 125th anniversary of federal courts in the Western District of New York.

When asked about what Trump and his supporters said about removing judges because of their decisions, Roberts mostly repeated what he said in March. He stated, "You don't use impeachment to show you disagree with a decision."

Roberts further stated he has no intention of retiring as he approaches the 20th anniversary of his confirmation to the nation’s highest court.

He appeared in his hometown less than a week after Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson strongly criticized attacks on judges.

During a speech to a group of judges and lawyers in Puerto Rico, Jackson spoke about the constant criticism and disrespect that judges across the country, and maybe many of them, are now dealing with every day.

In comments published on the court's website, Jackson characterised the attacks as a noticeable but undiscussed issue during a speech that pointedly omitted any reference to Trump.

The president, his main advisor Stephen Miller, and businessman Elon Musk have strongly criticized judges who have stopped parts of Trump's plans, sometimes making very personal attacks. Trump called the judge who temporarily stopped deportations, using a law from the 18th century used during wartime, a "radical left lunatic."

There have also been worrying attempts to scare judges and their children, like sending unwanted pizza to their homes. Some of these deliveries were sent using the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Daniel was killed at their home in 2020 by a lawyer who was angry.

Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois wrote in a letter on Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. He said these deliveries are threats that show the people trying to scare the judge know where the judge or their family lives.

Trump has primarily avoided criticising the Supreme Court, which is considering several urgent appeals against lower court decisions that have not favoured him.

The president has had mixed results with the judges so far. On Tuesday, the court's conservative judges brought back the government's rule against transgender people serving in the military, even though people are still fighting the rule in court. The three liberal judges disagreed.

However, the court has also temporarily stopped some deportations of people said to be Venezuelan gang members, using a law from the 18th century that was used in wartime. Also, the judges said that deportations cannot happen unless people are given a chance to challenge them in court.

Next week, the court will listen to arguments about Trump's order that would stop children born in the US from becoming citizens if their parents are in the country illegally. The Justice Department wants the court to change earlier court decisions so that the rules can be used in more than half of the country while the cases are still happening.